Psychoanalysis

Mediocrity

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The fastest way to spot mediocrity is by the fact that it always seeks to rationalize the exceptional. “He was in the right place at the right time,” “She had a lot of help getting there,” etc. etc. It’s a protective mechanism, where if the mediocre can qualify the extraordinary then it doesn’t have to deal with that anxiety inducing gap between where it is and where it secretly wishes to be. This sort of psychic tearing down is an effective means of relief since it makes everybody pretty much the same, just with different extenuating circumstances outside the locus of control.

But what a terrible waste to tear others down when this time could be used to raise oneself up. From a self-actualization point of view every single person on the planet has the opportunity to become extraordinary in their own unique way, but most never take the first step or the long arduous journey that follows to get there, contenting themselves with mediocrity because they just don’t see that explosive potential waiting to be channeled.

It’s not like exceptional acts simply appear out of thin air. They are the product of a long, hard road that mediocrity is not privy to and therefore doesn’t understand. But when the choice is made to activate, to start along the long continuum of growth, tearing others down is longer necessary or even considered because all of that psychic energy is directed towards self-actualization.

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