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| Why Settle For Mediocrity? |
Abraham Lincoln had once remarked that an individual cannot help being born average, but no one has to stay that way. But sadly, believe it or not, mediocrity is the new normal nowadays. In fact, we seem to thrive on it. We have got so used to mediocrity that it has almost become a way of life. Have doubts? Take a look around. Be it books, movies, music, television, business, public administration, governance or politics, mediocrity rules nearly everywhere. Isn't mediocrity being slowly peddled in India at the cost of meritocracy? Of course, mediocrity isn't such a bad thing; there’s nothing wrong in being average. However, multiplied across a population, it does become problematic, I believe, when we resist progress - when we refuse to try getting better and mindlessly remain content with the status quo without applying our talents for growth. And it worsens when merit loses and mediocrity wins! Take for instance, cinema.
The other day while browsing through YouTube videos on the site, I stumbled upon Vijay Raaz's and Manu Rishi's earnest cinematic offering, 'Kya Dilli Kya Lahore'. Set in 1948 (when the trauma of India's bloodstained bifurcation was still fresh), it is a simple but heart-touching story about the bitter-sweet encounter between a Pakistani soldier and an Indian army cook - the only two who survived on either side, after an altercation at the border. Although I had seen it earlier too, back in 2014 in the theatre and a couple of times on SonyLiv OTT but I still felt like I needed to watch it again. After all, it's not too often that one comes across such seriocomic movies with compelling performances.
And who can forget those hauntingly beautiful lines of Gulzar (very few in Bollywood can play around with words better than him) --
Lakeerein hain, to rehne do...
Kisine rooth kar gusse mein shaayad kheench di thi;
Inhi ko ab banaao paalaa,
aur aao, kabbadi khelte hain...
Lakeerein hain, to rehne do...
(MEANING: Now that lines have been drawn, let them be..
Someone must have drawn them in anger,
Use them now to divide the field into two halves
and come, let's play a game of kabaddi..
Now that lines have been drawn, let them be..)
But sadly, the movie could hardly earn anything at the ticket windows, although it did get rave reviews and appreciation from the critics. On the other hand, such run-of-the-mill movies like Race 3 and Dabangg 3 went on to earn more than 170 crores each in their theatrical run! The so-called superstar Salman Khan still continues to do the same old senseless action flicks and yet manages to rake in the moolah while Sushant Singh Rajput's Sonchiriya came and went without a trace, in spite of superlative performances. Isn't it a tragedy that while pretty mediocre movies are hailed as blockbusters, whereas small-budgeted but genuinely good, content-driven movies struggle to gain recognition and often garner only moderate response?
How in the last few years, so many inane, mindless and crass stories - be it in form of movies or books - got sold like hot cakes is something I just cannot fathom. The book '50 Shades of Grey' has sold over 10 crore copies worldwide. Mediocrity continues in so many other domains too and I can go on and on with several such examples. Certainly I don’t begrudge the author E. L. James her success. And of course I am no body to force my opinions and judgements on others. When people are paying their hard earned money for a movie or a book or for that matter, any product, it's their choice, it's their prerogative. They are free to choose and idolise. At the same time however, it is kind of depressing that the more deserving products often don't catch people's fancy. We all aspire to have a fair, equitable and merit-based society, don't we? But let's face it, currently in most spheres, 'mainstream mediocrity' has become the standard and sadly there is no focus on driving meritocracy.
Some books are showcased as best sellers, although the plots and story-telling lack substance and the writing any quality. Similarly at times, I am peeved to see that outright crappy songs with ludicrous lyrics, are being lapped up in glee (remember 'Blue hai paani' or 'Fevicol se'?). Clearly in this age of manipulative advertising and marketing, coupled with blind consumerism, literally anything can be wrapped up nicely and be passed off as a masterpiece creation.
Are my words reeking of snobbery? Maybe. But so be it. You are free to dismiss them as trivial and meaningless rants. Nevertheless, I am truly appalled by the way people are celebrating mediocrity. Aren't we condoning mediocrity by doing that? We need to understand that mediocrity breeds mediocrity.
I guess, the reason why most people remain stuck in mediocrity is because they are scared to fail. And the reason why they are scared to fail is probably because they equate failure with defeat. This fear of defeat thus holds them back and so they refuse to move forward. Thus mediocrity is the safe play. What they fail to realise is that one is not finished when he/she gets defeated; rather they get finished when they quit, when they stop making efforts! I had read a quote of H. Jackson Brown Jr. somewhere that said, "Life doesn’t require that we be the best, only that we try our best” and it has stayed with me ever since. I would rather pursue excellence and fail than be content with mediocrity.
Let me end the post with this poem of Douglas Malloch:
Be The Best Of Whatever You Are
If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill,
Be a scrub in the valley — but be
The best little scrub by the side of the rill;
Be a bush if you can't be a tree.
If you can't be a bush be a bit of the grass,
And some highway happier make;
If you can't be a muskie then just be a bass —
But the liveliest bass in the lake!
We can't all be captains, we've got to be crew,
There's something for all of us here,
There's big work to do, and there's lesser to do,
And the task you must do is the near.
If you can't be a highway then just be a trail,
If you can't be the sun be a star;
It isn't by size that you win or you fail —
Be the best of whatever you are!
