Hasta La Gadget!

Brazil’s government disbursed 2.9 billion reais ($895 million) to cover Olympic security spending by the state of Rio de Janeiro, which declared a state of fiscal emergency just weeks ahead of the global sporting event.

A presidential measure published on Thursday in the government’s Official Gazette confirmed the emergency loan, an effort to guarantee safety as half a million foreign visitors flock to Rio in the midst of its worst crisis in decades.

Brazil’s grinding economic recession is stoking crime and straining public finances, leading to threats of police strikes on eve of the Rio Olympics, which are set to open on Aug. 5.

The first Games to be held in South America were originally planned to showcase Brazil’s ascent as a global power, but will be held amid political turmoil, a grinding recession and concern about an outbreak of the Zika virus.

Heightening security fears ahead of the Games, parts of a mutilated body washed up on the sands of Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, just meters (yards) from where beach volleyball athletes will compete in the Olympics.

The government is also seeking to step up security at Rio’s Galeao international airport in the wake of recent attacks in Brussels and Istanbul.

In addition to the public safety scare, there are serious doubts that work will be finished in time for the Games on a metro line connecting downtown Rio to the Olympic Village.

The state government has requested an additional 500 million reais to finish the rail line, but those extra funds were left out of Thursday’s loan. The federal government has said that the emergency loan for security spending will free up state funds for the metro.

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We are endowed by certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of perfection. Wait. What? Perfection? Before you get your star-spangled knickers all in a bunch, just think about it. How often have we traded our happiness for the pursuit of self-perfection? And how often have we made ourselves nuts in the process?

In a perpetually chaotic world, perfectionism seems to allow us some semblance of order and control. Cutting-edge research shows that there is, in fact, a fine line between striving for improvement and striving relentlessly for perfection. How do you know if you’ve crossed it? Is your perfectionism doing more harm than good?

Are You A Perfectionist?

Do you feel irritated and dissatisfied with a project because you know there’s room for improvement? Do you compare yourself to others and feel anxious or jealous at their success? Do you work to the point of exhaustion? Do you find it difficult to disengage from work when you’re on a vacation? In the social media age where people document everything from their dinner to their view from an airplane window, do you feel that your life needs to appear effortlessly happy and fulfilling to others?

While high-achievers set high goals and work assiduously towards them, perfectionists focus on unmet goals. Perfectionists tend to look at themselves and others through critical eyes. Ironically, perfectionists are also likely to take other’s criticisms personally, whereas high-achievers welcome constructive criticism. While perfectionism is borne out of a desire to succeed, extreme perfectionism can lead to failure, as perfectionists are more likely to procrastinate, be risk adverse, or feel negative emotions such as guilt, defensiveness, inadequacy or depression.

Perfectionism often starts in childhood as we get rewards by parents and teachers for stellar work. Unfortunately, chasing praise – in school, work, or social endeavors – leads to frustration and self-doubt.

Imperfectly Perfect

Perfectionists pride themselves on their integrity and commitment to hard work; they make sure everything is the best it can be down to the last detail. As a society, we admire people who push themselves and others to produce masterful achievements such as Steve Jobs whose meticulousness extended to design functions only his engineers would see.

Beyoncé, whose flawlessness has achieved iconic status, was criticized not so long ago for the very perfectionism her fans love. When she lip-synced the national anthem at President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2013, Beyoncé set off a hailstorm of media scrutiny.

“I practice until my feet bleed and I did not have time to rehearse with the orchestra,” she admitted later in a press conference. “Due to no proper sound check, I did not feel comfortable taking a risk. It was about the president and the inauguration, and I wanted to make him and my country proud, so I decided to sing along with my pre-recorded track, which is very common in the music industry. And I’m very proud of my performance.”

While there’s beauty in perfection, there’s also beauty in imperfection. When the impeccable Queen Bey sneezed at a concert, her revelation of her humanness endeared her to fans even more.

“Perfection Is A Disease Of A Nation”

Pretty hurts, we shine the light on whatever’s worst.
Perfection is a disease of a nation.
We try to fix something but you can’t fix what you can’t see.
It’s the soul that need the surgery. —Beyoncé’s “Pretty Hurts”

We chuckle when perfectionism is shown as humorous quirk on television. But real perfectionism goes beyond arranging your towels in eleven different sections (Friends‘ Monica Geller) or fainting from embarrassment because the paper you gave Stephen Hawking contains a “booboo” (The Big Bang Theory‘s Sheldon Cooper).

According to a study published in a journal of the American Psychological Association, perfectionism can be devastatingly crippling, leading to anxiety, depression and an increased risk for suicide.

Gordon Flett and Paul Hewitt have been researching perfectionism since 1990. “Perfectionists tend to be under chronic stress, in part due to the pressure that is on them,” he observed with me in an interview. Perfectionism is pervasive problem. According to Flett “about 3 in 10 adolescents have some form of maladaptive perfectionism.”

Flett identifies two main types of perfectionism:
1) Self-Oriented Perfectionism where expectations to be perfect come from another person such as a parent, spouse or teacher.

2) Socially-Prescribed Perfectionism where people respond to external societal pressure by trying to appear perfect. These people tend to promote their strength and accomplishments, while hiding mistakes and flaws so others have a favorable impression of them. Meanwhile, inside they feel inadequate “like an imposter.”

Sure, perfectionism allows us to stretch and create beyond imagined capabilities, but it also handicaps our happiness. Furthermore, perfectionism hampers our ability to lead and empower others, as we’re unable to let go of control. We become experts at faultfinding–a sure fire way to lose friends and diminish influence. Moreover, we get so caught up in producing the end result that we forget to enjoy life along the way.

How to Accept Imperfection

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, spiritual leader and creator of the Happiness Program, reminds us to “Leave some room for imperfection. It is love for perfection that makes one angry at imperfection. Just like a clean house has a small space for garbage in the bin, keep some space in your mind to accept imperfections.”

We get so agitated thinking about other’s imperfections. You do realize that their imperfections are their problem to handle, right? We already have a full-time job managing our own mind and it’s obsessive nuttiness.

Can you imagine how unbearable it would actually be to live with someone who was totally perfect? It’s our mistakes that make us humble. If we never made mistakes, we’d probably be more judgmental, less empathetic and compassionate. It’s our screw ups that make us charming, approachable and lovable.

Practices such as yoga, meditation and breathing exercises help us keep our center and develop some perspective into our perfectionism. These practices bring the mind back to the present and help us let go of the past. Meditation gives us mental clarity so we’re more skillful and intuitive in our actions. A meditative mind tempers our tendency to go perfection crazy.

No one wakes up each morning and starts plotting out how they’re going to screw up their day. Mistakes happen. Getting angry at imperfection spoils your sense of peace. Besides it’s easier to correct a mistake when you come from a compassionate space, than when you’re blaming and alienating people. When we get upset at others’ mistakes, we’re no better than the person who made the mistake.

When we have acceptance and compassion for others, we simultaneously develop acceptance and love for ourselves as well. So the next time you’re getting anxious because your house isn’t up to snuff for guests or a difficult assignment you’ve just completed contains a typo, ask yourself if it’s worth losing your smile over.

Perfection exists as construct in the mind. True perfection is a tranquil, equanimous mind in the face of challenges. Inner perfection comes naturally when we leave room for imperfection.

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Michel Gondry is an impresario of whimsy, as established with “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “The Science of Sleep” and “Be Kind Rewind.” His newest film, “Microbe & Gasoline,” scales back on the dreamlike plotlines but maintains Gondry’s sense of limitlessness. It’s about two outsider teenagers who band together to create a makeshift house on wheels.

The Huffington Post has an exclusive clip that shows off said vehicle-abode, which gives the movie’s protagonists (played by newcomers Théophile Baquet and Ange Dargent) a humorous run-in with the law. “Microbe & Gasoline,” which opened abroad last year and stars Audrey Tautou, hits select U.S. theaters on Friday. 

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I was honored to attend the recent NY Board of Rabbis Gala at which former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg was presented the annual Humanitarian of the Year Award. The food was good. The multi-faith fellowship was enjoyable. The mood of the evening, even in light of global issues of unparalleled urgency, was filled with hope.

During his acceptance speech, Mayor Bloomberg said: “For all our problems, when the world votes with its feet, people still come to America. We must be doing something right!” It was a message everyone in the room needed to hear.

The gala was held a week after the massacre in Orlando, an event that reminded us that so many things are not right. That act of violence against the LGBTQ population reminded us of the act of violence in Milwaukee against the Sikh community and the act of violence in Charleston against the Black community and the horror of an ever growing list of acts of violence that encompass a litany of places we cannot forget; Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook and Aurora.

And, lest we forget, there are many other issues in our land that cause concern bordering on consternation: campaigns filled with fear and vitriolic political rhetoric, self-serving gridlock in Washington, the upward climb to a greater conversation around mental health and gun control legislation, the horrors of trafficking and the abusive sex-for-sale industry, the sobering awareness that 48.4 million Americans are currently living in poverty, and the most endangered populations are the very young and the very old, i.e., the vulnerable, frightening climate change statistics, and on and on the stories go. Not everything is right in the home of the brave and the land of the free.

As Anne Murray sang years ago, “We sure could use a little good news today.”

However, maybe there is some good news. Maybe Bloomberg was correct when he said that in spite of our myriad challenges, “we must be doing something right.” Maybe there is still hope and light and promise. After all, medical research continues to make great strides in the early diagnosis and treatment of devastating illnesses. Greater attention is being given to alternative energy sources that reduce the greenhouse effect and our dependence on oil, thus hopefully slowing the advance of global warming. Bipartisan populations are crying out for a more civil and honorable method of campaigning. People are giving feet to their prayers, effecting positive change, becoming advocates on important topics surrounding mental health and gun control. Because of the contemporary world of information technology, acts of racism and misogyny cannot any longer be kept out of view or swept under rugs. Multi-faith initiatives are springing up coast-to-coast with the intent of building bridges and forging pathways to peace. Unemployment figures are low.

As the Rev. Anne Kansfield (Chaplain, FDNY) said following the shootings in Orlando: “Do not forget that there was one shooter, but immediately thereafter scores of emergency responders rushed to the scene, even though for all they knew they were risking their lives by doing so.” There are still daily acts of kindness, random and otherwise, too numerous to be counted in every village and hamlet from coast to coast. Love is evident. And charity. And compassion. And volunteerism. And patriotism. And kindness.

Is all right with our country? Of course not. But all is not wrong, either. And on the 4th of July there is still much to celebrate. There are worthy dreams we know are being pursued. There are lofty ideals calling masses in courageous directions. There are compassion and charity, a longing for unity that both affirms and transcends diversity, new voices respecting the aged and new initiatives protecting the young, broadening understandings of the nature of love, deepened commitments to the love of nature and shared tears in the face of national tragedies.

Together, on the 4th, we will gather to eat BBQ and watermelon, watch fireworks and sing “My Country `Tis of Thee”, and whatever undeniable pains we possess will be tempered by the irrepressible hope that this great experiment in democracy is both determined and resilient. While diligently working to repair all that is not right, there are nonetheless countless reasons to celebrate all that is.

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There’s a little bit of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr inside us all. That is some of the wisdom Lin-Manuel Miranda dished out to The Huffington Post in a recent conversation on the lessons learned creating and starring in Broadway’s most recent classic, “Hamilton.” 

When it comes to Hamilton and Burr, Miranda explains, it’s not a matter of good versus evil, hero versus villain, brilliant versus brainless. Rather, it’s more complex — a matter of temperament. “This is about who charges forward and who exercises caution,” Miranda said. “And I think we’re all a mix of both.”

“You’ve got Hamilton who, orphaned, [his] mother dies at 12. Very traumatic early life. And his takeaway, his wiring, is to go and go and go as fast as possible,” Miranda explained. “Now you’ve got Burr, same basic childhood. Lost both parents, lost a series of relatives. Burr’s whole thing is terror to act. Burr always wants the right to change his mind.”

For Miranda, the seven-year process of writing “Hamilton” mirrored the contradictions embodied by his protagonists. Creating the musical tapped into both elements, willfulness and caution, Hamilton and Burr, simultaneously and all at once. “I am someone who is keenly aware that we could all be gone tomorrow, and yet I write things that I know will take years to finish,” he said. “Musicals take forever!”

The long and strenuous process of writing a historically accurate rap musical required Miranda to tap into another contradiction within himself, the ability to work in both isolation and collaboration. 

And yet, despite the hardships and paradoxes along the way, Miranda never stopped working, and felt blessed to be able to do so. “I think that’s also the thing about writing is you have to live with the notion of, if I don’t write this, no one is going to write it. If I die, this idea dies with me.” 

He mentions how Jonathan Larson, the creator of “Rent,” died before ever seeing the completed version of his game-changing musical, before he even had a chance to make edits on his last draft. For that reason, Miranda expresses, even when it’s trying and frustrating and exhausting, work is a gift. “The ability to literally change a song and change some notes is a privilege, because we’re alive.”

And just like that, Miranda surprises and inspires us once again. See the entire conversation unfold below. 

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