Do you want to be mediocre?
"Of course not!" You say. You say this, but do you mean it? If you do mean it, what do you actually mean by it?
What is mediocrity?
Mediocrity is the norm. Being of the norm, and striving in your actions for nothing more.
The norm is a path that requires the least thought and appears to be the least risky.
Being mediocre takes a LOT of time. To get an okay job requires at least 5 years experience. That is 5 years at 48 weeks a year with 5 working days, 8.5 hours a day. It takes 10,200 hours. The magic time for expertise.
But you're not Rembrandt at the end of these 10000 hours. You're an expert at being an employee. You're an expert at doing tricks for a measured reward. This 10000 hours gives us an entry to a modest paying position.
Why do we strive for mediocrity?
Society urges it. A population with minimal deviation is a stable population.
Anytime you do a means to an ends logic, you're being mediocre. Society is built on these calculations. It forces your "ends" to be money, and then you will accept any means.
Yes, it does. But obviously your ultimate goal is not to be mediocre, but there are times where you have to?
That "have to" is the force by which mediocrity is pursued.
Okay, but there are times in one's life where striving for mediocrity is the most viable approach? E.g. I'm poor now and I need a 9-5 job asap, and my passionate projects aren't getting me $
It's the easiest solution. We are programmed to seek this by default. It is mediocrity.
Not being mediocre is scary. There is a gap between the action and value created to that sweet sweet dollar our lives are built around.
Polymathism
And that makes it really hard to penetrate the recruiter and HR layers of employment
That is to say, the narrower your focus and experience, the easier it is to enter the world of 9-5.
So it is self-enforcing, the thought of doing anything other than what we've always done becomes more and more unthinkable the deeper we get.
The problem?
A strong society is not just built on reliability, but diversity also. To not diversify and taste the many spices of life can reduce one's best work, in addition to harming spirituality and mental health.
It damages the society itself.
Can we change this?
Of course. We just need a slight adaption to encourage diversity of interest and pursuit. When my company is finally running, it will employ based on diversity.
I believe this is the easiest way to fight mediocrity and better all of society. Change the rules of the game, and the players will adapt.
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