This is NOT a mathematical post. That said, following is the nine thousand six hundred-eighty-ninth ’perfect’ number—a number that is the sum of all its positive factors (divisors), save itself.

So often I’ve heard friends articulate their desire to find perfection—in the perfect mate; in themselves; in their work. Arduous goals for adults, I’ve seen this desire for perfection tragically stifle children to the point of complete stagnation. The number below, and its seemingly arbitrary, albeit historical, theological characterization, only further begs the questions…

Is there such thing as perfection? What makes something (or someone) perfect? Should we strive for perfection in ourselves? Should we look for perfection in others?

Are we all somehow searching for some sort of perfection in our lives?

Personally, I am. Perhaps this is one of my many imperfections? I am, however, at great peace with imperfection (in myself and others) and enjoy the searching, itself, more and more each day.

Good night my friends. May your sleep be… well, perfect. Mxo

—–

The nine thousand six hundred-eighty-ninth ’perfect’ number… in the end, it really doesn’t look so different.

114347317530386522718705105025630542903698399845347258953322493649083349618
821649476743519890641165253420870953967829556145989016903595273682003067910
373308598579728574350084199086829208452772208923860341629640726357096949317
694798762487502022029664133470626055015605918389541557767399692434126865160
392192075315475755335057849974685780471548156734551442915295514605922709625
345314061656209444408344969091839334791770561343949899910798724950031124973
875729822536558716428412762599977779692816509611849636811651561350307161332
863582367909042948050859965394504403972593217793674044373240974094738277630
506629884344754314394878937814642322066866433977898995067302716205054447216
807587129950513660016098784864017564276222030615155360130386281139332851377
946816569649176043985338207050744415642826117955222685621867047036664500265
890200210881182088564956299183199173232465026462785896710968494251717449784
126866174227020723183038760675321205523070868614041636207733298175387184389
600946246913817517168247555082305936610911425830224600704886527588707498935
620674166666831347109375622558889392838524498488830839494266854167475616157
368710703223976775548241686981224158876240444910815237021631862148606709639
748434349901505803360613611284463179478363950028123892272585359795891166829
940957908188401413921000021214847462633982982690115686478499193251301799577
640827428120867074352898888679965461829963343091065532412627029508658758902
588263465797023813815325549591909219325802830346944526125635952374101485975
102762953016610214656853675172699294865542513310569869212648472848012203567
878862714511445752966817312108062620177736146585653555563042035257212183680
927168037846963696041756054286695964831527232512077530307167963927196009066
708363035954934707141931981991785121644668009112663959803272267417750678341
428045389965055673858492122240490389334944133853166942490931176799323171756
317139764144977867853879303393005149929222136704210590985500546555667385643
338129484314119165861711224952035481542399478073587291009813414493640109369
209136412393536662021613725653038689125977334709167739746590669208745819057
402537379581113657074164152315699123888955141460434653507612102183232192581
147529992846492564336154277273577462475211679736269200332064224197568802997
348599221066102495313456453548986199849322875737327782534059306145115634610
835632464210043597642277761384937374919248589713254623568708944368324156525
634722198866045795498167949431370165602203743364114617724117026665544244211
931017697668664250319042284328990843281093823860331408782176184074481513855
363063564579750919990054351763317077925503558476789191856490039806128441274
649534419489086536586267570790656020422348314590186179280153407135798936432
699265532103245788964726795791430574992556517210819782039908420689501703639
455281541815668933220271995400138684764241019837645606698268973721100324442
630498534739995812743935094297020300745342597744419125143214299544866417648
623899121656347532985034969872742970216038263738552994896653329800456260420
703953024892068973768288728316813094602331986737179485261931738159984862432
369409900541512995529636710837431331313200861424919949200763397535422422621
590930600087174078308014491492464074290540600578692319251902153816373543975
817028132995815952689583312061165870596310523984443682300844872007508588024
080283624930809588632033505401043028854398209296528468108220122681593689369
487831497424902675648494582698757643872840224790185455337080004750941360297
399806113911494049989488500205747202763675815320963672454501114388613140165
022517716266197706174821960406842410512297196389558482587116014492304318646
427380162646162309476619775469211656143033369205948730471293095149636150570
379555887098500410798659237221980850361566374757932788005873419684835103916
006020179025710126964599829182043579353773814736150915325778117285906239704
438277866564572020249477389494910504344796403090616436473543394469870861768
290317940817098086414979390289516949794507725279502726537895491899715944718
572961369893634280184798855508175038199091448660098735156488715274700896671
172189704655041358403267833754924767247446378496029299954074053072000268283
426972483000936490186981766084937328742653925144042623717523338881075618053
885112274976675875578582167934166691212959998763800414118484214430094095980
692847958053156495196363490946267990580599422335647346943229795103810895017
831492579547754770234352670780945811781061630617490996502741259093646253668
726704552720384214618899051636836396046191582968893259421332505722974730263
996364208413433372820329102494890369148662167663062427460866171607836032606
698286667644354959747036199645360472547247305910942806694217192804737823549
579133652141814698120170218358745950304659775038965536071681705614539785642
450134102190251917474605617229575524961716539559708613511166450534433554240
880472606446097282553336498409927715231601675085440375183091218899434279824
528594682705707160019994804699412115981660133345610970007402548371413591832
811329811871730030180079079090849115347540166246592806870150067659165047525
683662967455661613825504328783747114328607840064485793857526584783301089117
154165873819800424114417361478790337569598995599672788283357293549488913499
570938134410628864517173192820510732854306997868133247869100339509814850685
062912361030055104137997457379387716208437535278966932759581938430052172484
330290179058923714688211643555592983915665872858828031555563296688363954423
771392818239167673053503683120123207205451036796866954036886331024458508609
122000111064190364201682186866755058800071545862894260456384675350556577331
953857495678331173237285279493703645386830912538919426615350632669408445273
103807421630374541321516299201960492694313334149527101110304360492237320103
820651306430596595847563267019098207850025389747388526209887730213436669131
85983024145754783451177014049057728513234967982558429577216.

Tags: Perfection, Mathematics, Perfect