The Perfect One

Something I've noticed recently about Western culture, that I had previously dismissed and accepted, is the romanticism over the ideal of 'the one'. Society suggests that there exists somewhere a perfect something for every individual someone. The one perfect soul mate, the ideal home, the well-suited job etc, and that we are essentially on a quest to find these perfect somethings and that when we do, no one/thing will compare.

This is a poisonous idea.

As mentioned in a previous post, I'm (still!) trying to decide which University courses to apply for and I'm finding it difficult because despite going to too many Open Days to count, and undertaking inhumane hours of research about this topic, I am yet to find a course that really inspires me. Many of my friends have found their ideal course, and describe it as 'perfect' and swoon as they talk about it. For a while I was really worried by the fact that I did not feel this passionate about any courses I'd looked at, and questioned whether I was looking at the wrong type of course, or not understanding a vital element of the University experience, etc. In my mind, there was a perfect course for me somewhere, I just hadn't found it yet. With every new course I researched, I wondered ''Is this the one? Will this give me the right vibe?" but every time I found myself  being disappointed.

Then it hit me - I'd be happy in any drama degree.

And then I looked at the bigger picture.

Why are we, as a society, so obsessive about match-making? Why is every life decision all too often deemed as a search for our personal piece? People aren't formed with the sole purpose of fulfilling someone else's dream, and the same goes for jobs and courses and other opportunities. It's silly to think (consciously or subconsciously) that life is made up of a set of algorithms and that somewhere in its pattern you will find your perfectly calculated counterpart designed in every detail for you.

I don't mean to dismiss the experiences of millions of people who believe they have found something perfect, I just think this issue of fulfilling ourselves is a matter of making things work. 

I don't know if anyone else feels this way or whether it's just a personal experience, but I think it's an important issue. There is no such thing as 'the one'.