Embracing Imperfection in the Era of Efficiency and AI

Ideas that resonate with you can come from anywhere and this case I came from a casual listen of a song by Madvillian called “Shadows of Tommorrow”. Typically when I listen to hip-hop It sends me on a journey for what music samples were used but this time it got me curious about the poetry of Sun Ra an eccentric Jazz artist and poet of the 60s-70s who is linked to Afrofuturism. The song was a direct recitation of his poem “Shadow of Tomorrow” over the amazing production of Madlib (1/2 of the Madvillian supergroup). The part that resonated with me the most and has shaped my mindset on imperfection is the following.

Yesterday belongs to the dead, tomorrow belongs to the living.
The past is certified as the finished product, anything which is ended is finished.
That which is perfect is finished, the perfect man is no exception to the rule.
The perfect man of the past is made according to the rule of the past.

– Sun Ra “The Shadow Of Tomorrow” from The Immeasurable Equation

Imperfection can only be measured by the past

Everything we judge and have an opinion on is based on the past and what is knowable. What will be perfect in the future may be imperfect now or irrelevant because the context of the past does not reflect the context of the future. The problems we may face or even the types of leaders we need will probably be different.

This idea or concept feels transferable to many domains. For instance the idea of your perfect self if achieved will only serve you in your known or knowable situation. We always have to look at who we are and evaluate “is who i strive to be impactful for how i want to live my life”. In business companies dominate their industry only to be disrupted when the context around their existence changes. Blockbuster vs Netflix is a fantastic example. Blockbuster was a perfect business until it wasn't.

The chat driven Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools that we often consult like ChatGPT and Claude AI are also based on what has already happened.  It’s important that we use these tools with that in mind. While helpful as tools we have to make sure we keep and update context around our usage.

Embracing Change and Imperfection

The future and our current problems are sometimes hard and we fail to solve them often but in understanding our failures we are uncovering the building blocks for our solutions.  Think of friction of imperfection  as the incubator for the future preferred outcomes.

We must continually question whether we are doing the right thing or merely repeating past actions. In evaluating our approach we need to understand the durability of what made our approach the right approach. Innovators, pioneers, and vanguards are inherently imperfect, navigating uncertainty to set new standards.

Conclusion

Embracing imperfection and change is crucial in the era of AI and beyond. By acknowledging the ephemeral nature of perfection and the evolving context of our world, we can better navigate the future and drive progress.