The dark side of perfection
The film Black Swan is about a ballet dancer called Nina who wants to be a perfect dancer. She finally gets the chance to dance the roles of the White Swan and Black Swan in Swan Lake
She wants to give the perfect performance. But she can't handle the pressure and begins to go insane.
I learned a lot from this film. It is important for us to de-stress because stress could destroy us. We shouldn't push ourselves too hard.
Nothing in this world is perfect. As long as we have tried our best, we will have no regrets, whatever the result.
Nina's final performance is perfect, but it comes with a high price. What is the real worth of perfection?
Chan Yung
From the Editor
Thank you for your letter, Yung. The search for excellence is an emotional subject. There are very different views, it seems, between East and West. While it is important for young people to have a skill to gain confidence, pursuing excellence requires an immense sacrifice.
At what point does a parent's personality override that of the child's? The constant restrictions and demands placed on a child can very easily become abusive. It seems to be impossible to have excellence without some form of pain.
There are many people who would argue that the pain is good. It makes people stronger. But for every strong person it makes, there are dozens who are broken. For every American Idol, there are hundreds of thousands of hopefuls who will never make it.
It is an interesting subject and we would like to know what other readers think.
Susan, Editor
