The Candy of Mediocrity – Sweet, Yet Addictive

Catchy new electronic gadgets to give the appearance of wealth. Products to consume. Credit or debit cards. Weekend movies or series on Netflix. Cashbacks. And of course, salary. Happy? Certainly.

The fact is that when people are a given a free option between something shallow and something profound, most of them go with the former. We know that such decisions are distinctly subjective and dubious but the all-in-all pattern is palpable. Burgers and pizzas outshine fruits and vegetables in this world, especially among the millennial. And when was the last time you bought a baked fresh French bread? Fifty Shades of Grey – of the ‘is it even a book?’ genre – is a chart-buster.

A universal mediocrity appears to be scattering bit by bit over everything. All those who had gained a good reputation or qualified ones seem to be vanishing; and where is the new person who gives a well-established hope in literature, the science, the arts, and in politics? That mediocrity is still traversing in 2020. The strongest impetus towards present-day mediocrity is the urge to earn money. More money, and still more money.

Today’s society is also eager to celebrate. Everything is celebrated in one way or the other. Talk about sports. Those days are long gone where you have to be the best to win, or even really have to good enough to create a team. With participation trophies being handed over to every sportsperson who has partaken in the tournament and certificates being distributed like toffees in classrooms, children are being left with nothing to strive for.

Why toil hard to achieve excellence when everybody tells you that you already are? Oh cute little thing, you are good just the way you are.

As the college year comes to a close, Instagram, and Facebook get flooded with graduation photos and videos, and never-ending graduation celebrations. And certainly, congratulations are a must. Congrats on making it through the easiest phase of your life! Do not mind going above and beyond.

We Are So Glued to Mediocrity

This is because that is how we have been designed by the creator - who we can all agree – has not done a fine job at creating us. Being gladly second-rate is not just the curse of being an exaggerated underdog, it is the predefined state of the universe.

In his book “The Hard Thing about Hard Things”, tech investor Ben Horowitz explains the “Law of Crappy People”. For any title level in a reputed company, the skills on that level will ultimately merge with the crappiest person with the title. The logic underpinning the law is that the other employees in the organization with lower title levels will indeed set their benchmarks against the crappiest person at the next level.

Case in point, if David is the worst vice chairman in the organization, then every director will set their benchmarks against David and demand promotions or increment as soon as they hit his low level of capability.

It is not just about the company. The gravitational pull of the mediocre impacts every facet of life. The usual tendency of things across the world is to provide mediocrity the superior power among humankind. And it is apparent in the workplaces (thus the observation that “a conference proceeds at the pace of the slowest mind in the room”), yet the bigger picture s that in any sphere – friendship, love, work, and health – crappy solutions supersede the good ones time and again, until they are not so bad as to ruin the system. Even evolution – life itself – is all about mediocrity.

And mediocrity is tricky; it can disguise itself as achievement. When you lessen the bar far below, everybody is extraordinary.

The cliché of a "mediocre" employee is a Dilbert-esque manager with nearly nothing to do. The busyness of the go-getter can also result in mediocrity. Start getting involved in every opportunity and you will end up doing trivial stuff, and badly.

Many people prefer the mental image over their desire to work for it to get it. They are more attracted towards how the idea looks rather than the process of partaking in the actions required to make the idea a reality.

So, mediocrity is not a weak point, yet a deep tendency of the universe, and you challenge the universe, yet cannot hope for a final triumph. The creator creates the rules.

We Are Influenced to Accept Mediocrity

People fool themselves into considering their own excuses as they do not want to face the truth that they actually never wanted to achieve the dream in the first place.

In true sense, many people never emerge successfully at fulfilling their dreams. Many people fail to escape the grip of mediocrity. Many people never walk away from the security and safety of the mob. They think if they are bad at anything, they suck. As their self-esteem is attached directly with their performance, any failure is evidence they are not good enough and the permit to not try anything lucrative ever again.

These are the general catalysts for our happy acceptance of a sound, mediocre life:

You are really realistic. Ideas that transform the world are not “realistic”, and thus, the enormous impact of the idea to an extent wherein the world has no option but to change. Not only should your thoughts be elevated but you have to believe in the actuality you are forming more than you believe in the present realism that you are now witnessing.

You are just straight-out lazy. Many people do not want to do the task that is necessary to meet their long-established dreams as their “why” is not staunch enough. They want to make it big and all more than they want reach the goal, when in fact, success is a by-product of achievement. So, they spend an hour on Instagram or Facebook, but not half of it on something they wanted to achieve.

You never wanted it anyhow. You are not thirsty enough. Simple as that. People will leave no stone unturned for anything that they actually desire for. The mere act of succumbing to your dream reflects that you never wanted to realize in the beginning. You have been thirsty for two days, with no penny in your pocket. Would you give up on trying to drink to stay alive?

You are a scared chicken wearing a human cape. People are habitual creatures and barely prefer to step outside of their comfort zone. None wants to stand out, yet in a bid to be numero uno, you have to be odd. The only way to gather attention is to be unusually different, and many people are afraid to be themselves in the fear of what others will think. You are also afraid to fail. But failure is where we get the key to the door of success.

Yet Mediocrity Does Help In Some Sense

The world is such a noisy busy place. Clamorous, sermonizing voices preaching about hustling, improvement, achievement, competition, and victory. Sacrifice sleep for better efficiency. Work hard for excellence. Go big or go home. Have a significant effect on the world. Make every second of your life count.

But what if all you wish for is a simple, sober life? What if you just want to work 9 to 6 and then retire and spend time with your grandchildren? What if you are mediocre and choose to be at peace with that?

No issue with that. But the motto is ‘peace’. Be at peace with the truth that your deeds achievements will not be scribbled in the pages of history. That you lived lesser compared to what you could be.

Mediocrity Sells Itself to the Masses

Anybody who refers to the success of mediocre products is likely to be slammed of elitism. Movie audiences all over the world leap towards idiotic ordinary trash. But it is not just in the case of movies and music; the same affection of mediocrity is visible wherever people care to see. Shallow novels outperform deep and literary works.

Without digging into small details of the furniture made from fake wood instead of real, or yards that are paved instead of full of life and beauty, or fragile startups raising millions, you figure out the approach. The intriguing question for psychologists is why.

There is a definite disturbing notion behind our love of the forged and the fake.

• It is usually cheap.
• Myriads of people purchase it as in shoddy novels versus deep literature.
• As people love it, we do not have to make any extra effort. If you go to the cricket stadium, you end up having hot dogs as that is what people do.
• Backed by these factors, the product is easily noticed, promoted, and sold. For it is socially validated, familiar, and forms a warm gleam of social acceptance and familiarity.
• It is dull enough to follow the majority, while some people can actually understand classical music. It takes a lot of mental effort and is eventually unpleasant to the majority. Mediocrity might be dumbed down, yet it is democratic.
• Hence, it is ideal for marketing through mass media.

Take it easy, we are all enjoying a great time.