What about mediocre things? Do they just go on forever? Finish this sentence, "All things that are barely satisfactory must..."
A quick scan of my surroundings tells me that the end of that sentence is "perpetuate and multiply." Why is tolerable the norm in our society? Many years ago, I learned, from my brother, the meaning of "tilting at windmills" and I have endeavored to do so ever since, (with a few temporary lapses in motivation over the years). I'm not saying I've transcended mediocrity, alas I am firmly entrenched in it. Though, I am not content with being there and every day I rage against the dying of the light, to speak in borrowed cliche.
I do seem to be the odd one out in this. I see others around me putting half their heart (or ass) into their work and being content with lackluster results. I have in no way perfected my craft(s), but I do always look for what I could have done better and try to improve. I set standards for myself I can't possibly reach. Not from masochistic desire, but because it forces me to continually try to excel. I forget, at times, that not everyone feels the same as I. I see my peers struggling to achieve average and forget they don't have the same standards and therefore should not be judged as someone who wants to succeed.
My promise to you is, if there actually is a 'you' reading this, I will no longer expect others to be good at what they do. I will no longer expect others to want to be good at what they do. I will bask in the tepid glow of the mediocre. I will be pleasantly surprised when someone breaches the threshold average. I will find creative ways to compliment without actually commenting on the work. I will simply smile and show my appreciation for what others do, much the same way you smile at your neighbor when he's walking his one-eyed, three-legged dog.
