Always striving, even if never reaching, PERFECTION

Magister P wrote:

The reason certain works have lasted over time is because of their ability to speak to people of all stages of life, in all places of the world, in all times.

I completely agree with this, but I also want to tie in the idea of "desiring perfection" meowmix brought in. We read literature these days for different reasons, but I think that the most basic (though sometimes forgotten- yes, Kat!) reason is to get the meaning of the writer's words, and SOMEHOW apply it to our own lives. Most usually, writers do not write for the simple sake of passing the time, amusing themselves, or trying out the latest fonts and colors, however fun that may be! The written word is most generally distributed for the sake of education, and by education I mean this: learning the author's point, establishing your own opinion of the point, and, if necessary, actually using what the author said to "perfect" yourself.
As humans we naturally strive for excellence, and though perfection is a thing of most people's dreams, and it may never be reached, most people see more good in shooting for it and getting somewhere rather than failing forever. This part of humans is also the part that defines "moral" and "ethical," and creates the "morality" of each person, degrees varying widely. Kat's Ben Franklin example also works here: Franklin realized that with his system, he could never achieve moral perfection. But he did not just burn up all his journals and charts and say, "If I can't be perfect, then why try!?" He continued his attempts at morality, and most people function in this way, always R---E--A--C----H--I--N--G for the gold, but being content (and still determined!) with the cheaper silver-gold blend.