The Sandwich Meridian

Mediocrity. There I said it. The M word. Why does being mediocre have such a negative connotation to it? I don't think that being ordinary is necessarily a bad thing altogether. Is being normal abnormal? Is there something wrong with leading a quiet life? Why is this blogpost rife with rhetorical questions?

To me, it doesn't seem all that bad to life out your life peacefully in stereotypical manner with the wife and two kids, driving a medium sized family car. Sure it would be fun as hell to take the Ferrari or Lambo out for a spin, but is all the extravagance really necessary? Maybe to some it is. But I'd be just as contented with my Toyota Corolla with my family strapped in.

I'm not making an excuse for under achievement. I do not think that whatever talents we have should ever go to waste. But I also don't agree with the mentality that if you're not pushing your limits, then you're just another under achiever. While pushing the boundaries of your abilities will improve you as a person, it comes to a point when that pushing stops being a method of excelling yourself and starts becoming the goal. What I mean is that sometimes, we strive so hard to improve and break records that we forget to look back and be proud of the things that we have already achieved.

They say that pride comes before a fall. In my opinion, pride this case is not so much being proud but instead means being over confident. I do not see what is wrong in taking a step back and taking pride in what we have already managed so far. What I'm saying may sound very contradictory at times, but I also believe that while it is good to be proud of what we have already accomplished, we should also not just rest on our laurels.

Basically, what I'm trying to bring out is that all things require a sense of moderation (another M word). It is the balance between pride in past achievements and endeavour in future work that makes a person truly well-rounded. Pushing our limits versus stepping back and admiring the view.

Life is like a sandwich. I know it's corny but bear with me for a while. The way I look at it, the stuff in the middle is what make a sandwich a sandwich. A PB and J is PB and J 'cuz of the peanut butter and jelly. A cheese sandwich is a cheese sandwich because of the cheese. So your life is should not be judged by the bread that is the extreme good or bad that you do occasionally but by the filling that is how you lead your life most of the time.

Well, like it or not, I am perfectly content with leading my life smack in the middle. I do not aim to be the next Bill Gates, nor do I intend to let what ability I have go to waste.