The Conspiracy of Mediocrity

Jim Rohn once said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

The people who you habitually associate with, determine the kind of person you are. This has been observed since the beginning of time. Such as the formation of tribes, and the separation of groups based on differences in cultural traditions followed. This is true for animals as well, for example, a study was conducted to find the difference in nut-cracking techniques between three adjacent chimpanzee communities, each group predominantly used different techniques to do the job, and while given the option of the other methods they found it difficult to follow.  Researchers state that innovative behavior patterns that individuals acquire are through some form of social learning rather than independently.

Similarly, how we approach things simply depends on the possible options we have subconsciously developed over time due to exposure to them. However this doesn't mean innovation isn't derived from conformity, it is what an individual chooses to recreate from the existing ways of doing things, which is a topic for another time.

It took me 2 years of pandemic and 2 months of college life to conclude that the environment you're in tremendously affects your working efficiency, style, and even your mood throughout the day. You're bombarded with distractions coming to college for the first time. Students can't help but excavate this ‘New-Found-Freedom’ with no parental restrictions. 

So you’d think that it's your judgment and combination of choices that will impact the output and what you choose to do with the liberty.  No matter how strong-willed one is, it's difficult to sustain and formulate habits that oppose the type of environment one persists in.  It's definitely not easy, especially if you're a college student who has yet to figure out what to do with life. There's so much pressure put on you to do things to fit in. I personally have faced this throughout my school life and it's exhausting. 

We have been wired to imitate, The likelihood of you catering to a system that has already been altered according to others’ preferences and comfort is high. From what I've observed after talking to a few of my close friends is that they'd prefer being around like-minded people. Hence, choose groups based on how many common interests they share, most importantly how comfortable they are with their peers. There are very less chances that one would prefer to be around people who intimidate them intellectually or so. That is one strike to a person’s self-esteem, isn't it?

Most of us gravitate towards comfort, it's not easy to deviate once you're in the loop of self-gratifying comfort. It's people who constantly put themselves in uncomfortable situations that grow. Quoting James Clear from his book ‘Atomic Habits’ “If you want to be in the top 1% of a domain, then you can’t take your cues and follow the social norms of 99% of people.”

During the pandemic, I only had myself to compare with, me yesterday, me a week before and so. Subsequently, it was easier to stay consistent and stick to the ideal day structure I had planned out for myself. After being accustomed to this system, it became difficult to cultivate the same in college. The instability, the distractions, and the ignorance brought out the worst in me.

We become attuned to the moment and short-term gratification that its difficult to persist in the goals we had set for ourselves. This is the pressure we have on us to conform to mediocrity that persists all around us. 

The likelihood of finding people with the same zest for life and goal sets is difficult but when you stick to doing things you enjoy and documenting them you’re likely to attract like-minded people who are on a similar track or at least want to be on it. Hence it's important to not just settle for ‘the good enough’ if you could achieve the best of it. And not letting real potential be lost in the making of a system of convenience and comfort.