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Celebrating Mediocrity!

‘Mediocre’- a word tainted dark by our society. They use the word in the worst of the senses, as if it is below POOR. A mediocre student is ignored by his parents and most of the school, shoved to a small corner, knowing he will not be missed by anyone, and that he will have no significant impact on the World.

We idolize the exceptional and the extraordinary. We let them define what ‘success’ means, and what to do in life to be ‘successful’. There is no place for the runners up, let alone the mediocre; we have re written social constitution, where how much TV exposure you can muster, how much wealth you can culminate, or how many majors you can complete within the shortest period of time determines if you are successful and happy in your life.

But a speech made by a certain Anthony Corvino of Binghamton University made me think otherwise, and led me to write this piece; he is the true aspiration behind this work. ‘Average is the new Exceptional’- he started, and it gave me a whole new perspective of life. ‘Average, now days, stands out amidst the sea of exceptional’- that is at least something to be proud of, right?

But giving it a more profound thought, I actually get closer to the last statement. Average actually stands out and taller than exceptional. The core reasoning behind this seemingly improbable line of idea is that success does not lie in your bank account or your trophy cabinet. It is not determined by how many people can figure out your face from a sea of faces. You are successful when you are happy, when you are satisfied. As much corny as it sounds, it is actually true! What good is your Lamborghini if you are too drunk in misery to drive it, right?

Being too much exceptional actually pushes you away from happiness. On the acme of this is the fact that it shoves you away from your family. When you are too busy with work, trying to make a world impact, you forget the impact that you were supposed to make on your son who is talking with his imaginary friend, because his real friend doesn’t think he is important enough. While you prepare the speech you are supposed to make at a World Economic Convention, your mother lies in her bed, throat parched, and soul empty, because there is no one to pass her a drink of water or to ask her how she was feeling that day. And when the support of your son or mother or your family wanes, nothing can soothe the raging storm brewing inside you. Family is something that can never be replaced- it is blood. Just as your body needs blood to function, your soul needs your family to be happy - it’s just how life is, not rocket science!

Being exceptional makes you detached from your friends - the very people who made your life worth living. You become an elitist and a conformist. You shun your closest friends, because they do not share your ability, or the people of your caliber might mock you, if you hang out with lesser minds. But the axe is inches away from your head, who will be there making a last ditching effort to save your sorry butt? The life of a mediocre revolves around their friends in one way or the other. They are never too busy or never too tired from work to have a couple of rounds of beer with their pals. A whole night of sheer recklessness, rowdy games, and what not, with nothing to be stressed about and with no tension of life is something I will always take over some snob CEO having a rooftop party, where you have to be a gentleman living up to his stature.

Being exceptional also makes it hard for one to be truly satisfied. You really don’t have ‘enough’. It is good in many senses, but sometimes, just sometimes, you need to know when to put down your sword. You need to know when to thank the Almighty, and realize if it was not for Him, you would be nothing. Or if you are an atheist, you need to pay homage to your luck, because no one walking on planet Earth has achieved something without luck playing a part. You just need to take a pause and look what you have achieved, and be satisfied. Bliss and relaxation only comes if you are satisfied. Average people relatively are happier, only because they are not obsessed to get ‘more’. They are too lazy to work harder, but if pays off. It gives satisfaction, something many elitists badly crave.

So if you are mediocre, be proud. We might not invent the next big thing, but we will create ways for the extraordinaries to invent it. We will be the loving parent, the caring friend, or the assistant with application the extraordinary people need to express their caliber: to make a world impact. We will make a difference to the world in our own unique way; a way the exceptional can never fathom! Let us not balk at the raised brows of society, let us CELEBRATE MEDIOCRITY!

"My teacher asked me what I want to be when I grow up, I said happy. She told me I don't understand the assignment, I told her she doesn't understand life."-John Lennon

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