Law of averages
Rooted in reason
Are we proud to be average? Do we pretend that superlatives in any field simply don’t exist? This isn’t a tendency confined to our culture and time alone. Even pathbreaking thinkers such as Galileo and Socrates were attacked for daring to think differently, writes Monideepa Sahu
Do we, as a society, worship the average and nurture mediocrity? Do we, with our actions and inactions, not only uphold the mundane and below-par, but also resist agents of change? Aren’t we guilty of huddling together in our comfort zones of the pedestrian mainstream? Don’t we often find ourselves systematically focusing our efforts on pretending that superlatives in any field simply cannot exist? We complacently justify ordinariness in every sphere of life. Mediocrity in public life and leadership, in books, or sports; this seems to be what the public wants and supports. But, does popular appeal alone justify shoddy work? Must we, Indians, continue to aspire to the lowest common denominator?
On the flip side of the coin, what’s wrong with being average, which also means normal, ordinary and usual? Must we be tossed into some social compost pit because we aren’t all Gandhijis and Einsteins? Does anyone have the right to judge us for swaying to commonplace but catchy tunes or enjoying hastily-patched-together pulp fiction? Last, but not least, must ‘average’ necessarily be equated with lack of skill, intellect and overall abysmal lack of quality?
There’s no doubt about it. We are evolving into a nation that condones and accepts anything and everything mediocre and sub-standard. We sit around warming our chairs and sipping mugs of beer or coffee, waiting for ideas and saviours to arrive and make progress happen. We love to vent our pet peeves. But, why does our claim to fame end at our genius to criticise and satirise? After all, we are peaceful and tolerant folks. Corrupt netas, rising prices, garbage and traffic choked streets; we carp and crib and then tolerate and uphold the status quo. We even seem to revel in the mundane and pedestrian, turning it into the main mantra of our lives. Perhaps it’s an offshoot of our famed spirituality. After all, it’s futile to strive to improve our lot and make this world a better place. The final say lies with the powers above us, and we mere mortals can do little to change our inevitable destiny.
Popular culture
In fact, we are so much in our element with mediocrity that we, as a people, often resist others’ efforts to raise the bar. Observe how our tolerant live-and-let-live attitude cracks in the face of the colleague who not only pips us to that coveted promotion, but continues to scale heights above that fabled glass ceiling. Heavens forbid if the neighbour’s kid stands up to be counted as an outstanding academic or sports performer, or manages to earn a place in an elite centre for higher learning. If anyone from our circles truly excels in any field to a level that money and connections cannot buy, we often contort our faces at imaginary sour grapes. Rising from the ranks and shining is among the greatest social crimes. We raise a collective shudder, ostracise them from our circles and blithely rip their reputations to shreds. Meanwhile, statues are erected for those we criticise, for they are doers, however imperfect. Carping critics achieve little with their passive negativity, and remain potent sources of hot air. Channelling this copious output into even hot air balloons seems too much of a bother.
Today’s popular culture clearly emphasises the average. We pat ourselves on the back for being a great cricket playing nation. We even manage to win the World Cup once in 30 years, competing against a handful of opponent teams, while most of the world doesn’t even play the game. Other sports which invite stronger international competition do not catch the fancy of people like us. We are the world’s second most populous country, yet our tally of Olympic medals is barely more than non-existent. Mass social media channels such as YouTube have levelled the playing field, making popular stars of average people doing ordinary things. Govind Tiwari, an average young man from Allahabad, became 2011’s online sensation. He shot up from anonymity to viral stardom and trending on Twitter with his blog- http://govindtiwari.blogspot.com/. Tiwari’s claim to fame was a webpage with flashing stars, multimedia razzle and a profusion of photos of himself that blinked, among other things. This kitschy effort ‘for making good friend’ was a roaring success among India’s average netizens.
There’s no shame in being average, which by definition includes the normal, everyday, familiar mainstream. The problem arises when we entrench ourselves in mediocrity, accept the undistinguished and barely passable as values written in stone, and actively discourage ourselves and those around us for reaching beyond the boundaries we set for ourselves. We ordinary commonplace Indians obviously have the capability to do better. When people like us travel beyond our borders to pursue higher education and professions, we prove our mettle as high achievers. Surrounded by others who are encouraged by their culture to think and ask questions, we too can bounce off original ideas and earn Nobels and laurels. Whether in academics, helping to engineer financial booms and busts, hatching mega scams or shady deals, we Indians can dazzle and match the best or trickiest in the world. Yet, snug in the confines of our homeland, why do we nurse our hatreds and prejudices and steer clear of lifting our manicured fingers to make a positive difference? When we blame our restrictive ‘system’ for curbing our innate talents, we must remember that this ethos is also created and sustained by people like us. When we huddle in our coteries and eye anyone who dares to be genuinely different with suspicion, is it exposing our own inadequacies that we fear?
Does fear of challenges and failure drive us to seek solace among the average and mediocre? Do we collectively detest and discourage anyone who shows what we ourselves are incapable of is humanly possible?
Narrow view
Today’s tough and competitive world drives us to process avalanches of information and vie for unrealistic professional goals. Crushed under the weight of impossible targets at the workplace, life for most of us is becoming a mad rush from deadline to deadline.
Children are being robbed of the joys of childhood by the constant pressure to score more marks and higher ranks. The technology that is shrinking the world into one big global village and bringing the world of information to our mouse clicks is also making life more complex and exhausting. We have more and more ways to communicate, as Thoreau noted, but less and less to say. We need to let our hair down sometimes and be comfortable being our normal, average selves. Sinking into snug comfort zones of averageness is partly a reaction to the overwhelming pressures of daily life.
Our narrow selfish attitude is another cause of our mediocrity. Everybody wants to get ahead in life without considering the collective good. We tend to claw and scramble for every bus seat and bargain, without a thought for discipline or the children and elders we shove out of our way. We reinforce into our children the dream of becoming pen-pushers and mouse clickers who follow instructions and do routine, monotonous work. We do not encourage the spirit of inquiry and the ability to think for oneself. We turn a blind eye to the pedestrian knocked down in front of us by a speeding car because we don’t want to get involved. We take pride in keeping our homes spic and span and blithely toss our garbage at our neighbour’s doorstep.
Averages ruled even before YouTube and modern technology. This penchant for pulling down the brilliant and sustaining mediocrity isn’t confined to our culture and time alone. Pathbreaking thinkers such as Galileo and Socrates were attacked for daring to think differently. Vincent Van Gogh’s art was unappreciated during his lifetime. Nadia Comaneci, who first scored a perfect 10 in Olympian gymnastics, was said to have been driven to suicidal depths by the jealous barbs of her peers and competitors. Even cities in the US, that paradise on earth for many Indians, have their homeless people and festering slums.
Social media is spreading the mediocrity cult worldwide. What average people everywhere enjoy are simple images of ordinary people doing simple things and sometimes even making fools of themselves. Pole dancers slipping from their poles, fat people dancing, seniors in an old age home fiddling with the webcam and inadvertently shooting a video of themselves; such are the most popular videos usually shared on YouTube.
Things of mediocre quality also have positive uses. Indian English books of poor literary quality are a phenomenal success. Millions of Indians, particularly from smaller towns and with a less than strong command over English, are choosing such books over more highbrow literary works. These average books by middling writers have popular appeal because the masses can relate to the language, stories and ideas without feeling patronised. By widening their reach and drawing in many more people into the reading habit, such average books can, as author Chetan Bhagat hopes, exercise a positive influence “on young, aspiring middle-class Indians to change the India they are living in”.
Meanwhile, the runaway popularity of an average song like Why this kolaveri di? is connecting people from Mexico City to Egypt. The Gyas rowing team from Groningen, Netherlands did an original video for kolaveri with some lively dancing. A welcome blow for cultural integration and international understanding.
Thrust of development
Average does not mean ironclad levels of mediocrity. As civilisation has evolved and progressed, the standard of the average masses has broadened and improved. Once upon a time, life was nasty, brutish and short. People lived in caves and hunted wild beasts for food. In another day and age, it was average and normal for people to die young of diseases which can be easily cured today. In our own land, child marriages, famines and practices such as untouchablilty were the common lot of average people. It was normal for average widows to be burnt alive on their dead husbands’ funeral pyre. Today, it is perfectly normal for average people to get university education or board planes and travel around the world in a few hours.
Humanity is constantly evolving. It is up to average people like us to sustain this thrust of development. Each of us has that inner spark of creativity. If we do not use it, or prevent others from using it, then it will simply die out. Even feeling threatened by superior forces can prod us into being creative. If life was always smooth and free from challenges, we would sink into complacency and not make efforts to bring about change. Anything worth doing requires effort. We must not become lazy or give up without a fight. We need to open our hearts and minds to fresh ideas and be less judgemental and prejudiced. We also need to strengthen ourselves to face inevitable criticism and judgement from others, and continue to try our best.
It’s so easy to blame others for what ails us — netas, stars, neighbours, parents, gods. We need to step forward, not only to act on our ideas, but also to acknowledge and rectify our own mistakes. This life, this country, this career — it all belongs to us. Threats, challenges, acts of god — so many things can, and will, thwart us. It’s up to us to stop and give up, or find a way around those inevitable roadblocks.
Rather than restricting ourselves to ‘safe’ cliques of mediocre and unimaginative people, we need to seek out and encourage the more thoughtful and innovative people among us. Freely exchanging ideas can lead to strong and viable new avenues for progress. We need to create free spaces where creative forces can play without fear. This is of vital importance, especially for our children. Shifting the onus to schools, tuition teachers and life skills coaches is not the answer. Original thinking and creativity begins at home, in an environment where everyone, especially the young, feel free to take risks without the pressure to perform or live up to the expectations of others. We also need to realise that life isn’t only about buying and getting, and wanting more and more. Life is also about reaching out, sharing, and acknowledging others and their positive qualities.
Try as we might, we are only human and can never achieve godlike perfection. Even brilliant people cannot consistently produce stunning work. If they did, its dazzle would blind everyone nearby. Nothing can be achieved without consistent efforts. But we also have the right to take timely hard-earned breaks, and just be our average selves. High faultin’ intellectualism has its limitations if only a few can grasp it or make practical use of it. People striving for excellence need to keep in mind that if the ideas and principles do not connect with the masses, or do not have any practical utility, then they will remain isolated in ivory towers. Whatever the constraints, we need to continue trying to raise the standard of averages to the best of our abilities. As William Faulkner rightly said, “All of us failed to match our dreams of perfection. So I rate us on the basis of our splendid failure to do the impossible.”
