Musings

Mediocrity

Mediocrity has become rampant in our country. The reason it is so widespread is because of its appeal. Especially as a student, the motive to achieve greatness, or to go beyond one's perceived ability, is missing. It is missing because it is not wanted, and it is not wanted because there is a lot of effort involved, and who has the time for that. Besides, there are many other things that are wanted and do not need as much effort. That, in the US is so appealing and so attainable that it is soon going to lead our country into economic ruin which'll eventually affect our standard of living.

Putting in effort has become a sore point in the country's schools. Students rarely, if ever, give their all in anything as a result they never achieve to their potential. However this is something students do not understand; they feel they can get by without putting in any effort and choose to becoming mediocre. This trend in school children has made America drop in academic standing compared to other countries, especially Europe.

If doing well in school can assure one of getting into a respectable university why has mediocrity become a safe haven for teens? Many parents would do not have a clue, others would think their child has reached his/her limits in learning, or else just blame the child for not shaping up and getting better grades. However, many of the times this is not the case.

As many would assume, pressure plays a major role in slacking of as a student. Sadly it is not peer pressure alone. Parental pressure too seems to drive kids to become mediocre. They feel that it would be a way to get back at their parents for the heavy pressure they exert. Many others use mediocrity as a way to break away from the pressure of parents and of reality.

The US, in the past, has been known for its edge over other countries when it comes to thinking outside of the box and then applying that thinking to real life scenarios. However, that is not true anymore. America's advancement has also resulted in mediocrity becoming okay and sometimes even commendable. Being that America is such a great place to live and the status of living is so high, mediocrity doesn't pinch as much, in fact one can live comfortably being mediocre. One can see this by looking inwards. How many times have young boys and girls felt“...my parents life right now meets my standards; where's the need for extra effort?” However, if everyone thinks like this, America will soon lose its edge and be like any other country.

Finding mediocrity is simple, just look around. Suburbia is filled with it. Everyone here is average and that is fine. Nobody is complaining; decent food is provided, there is a roof over one's head, and most of all everyone around is average too. . With nothing to strive for why would anyone want to be better than they are already?

Although there are still some people or students who do have something to strive for the shoes they have to fill are many times too large. Having someone who overshadows one with his/her accomplishments easily causes students to give up in their pursuit of knowledge because of the huge gap and expectations that they have to meet. Sadly, parents do not make this much easier by always comparing you to another who has accomplished great things.

With mediocrity's appeal and its acceptability, many students put learning on the side to make room for other activities that take a greater importance in their current lives. What they do not know is that mediocrity is not okay, and it will not only lead to their lives being average and boring, but also to the fall of this country.

posted by thethoughtless @ 3:18 PM