Horizontal Aspirations

If variety is the spice of life, then mediocrity is the self-rising flour. A little self-analysis will reveal this truth. Have you ever noticed that for every dash of spice you add to a recipe, you add a couple of cups of flour? Just so, your life contains way more mediocrity than you would think.

I used to be naive enough to dream of excellence. Throwing personal limitations to the wind, I developed a long list of possibilities. I was aiming high. And, then, I learned about being mediocre.

Mediocre is the new first-rate. Mediocrity is what makes someone stand out more than another nondescript person. It is what gets accolades. Why strive for anything else? Yes, I said strive. Fifty years ago, no one would have accepted such a description. But, today, we are actually encouraged to shoot for average.

Here is one of many examples. An ordinary citizen performs an unimportant task on behalf of a commonplace cause. Some half-baked organization recognizes the average effort, gives a middling award to the ordinary citizen, who accepts the award with a modest speech, and we are all supposed to be impressed. We are to emulate what the ordinary citizen has done. We are to desire mediocrity. How mundane.

Fortunately, being mediocre is what comes natural to an alert, well-intentioned American. Do nothing. Think little, be amused lots. Prepare to impress with your mediocrity. Now that’s top-notch.

Let losers reach for the stars. For me, I’ll just take average.