- Kerry Reid
- Perth Western Australia
- Australia
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Should we aim for mediocrity?
As children in modern day society we are all told to reach for the stars. The idea that you can be or do anything you want to...but more often than not if those dreams are at odds with convention they are branded as 'silly' or 'impracticable'.
What to do? Dream or aim for mediocrity?
Jonathan Gronli
Marlon Jones
“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.” If the "thing" that one is trying to do is logically possible I wholeheartedly support the pursuit because success is not really fully realized unless one has experienced failure by which to contrast it
Lejan . 30+
This is why we have 'falling stars', so we can stay 'down to earth' while collecting them... ;o)
Jason Huffman
"Some men are born to greatness; others have greatness thrust upon them."
"Most people will not do great things, but they can do small things in a great way."
I find that, in terms of our lives, society has penned so many fantastic stories hitherto that it is difficult to become a part of history oneself. But that is because of a fervent desire of the world to take things out of context. Behind every great event or person there were others who helped to achieve that goal. While history might not remember them verbatim, they contributed to something bigger than themselves. A great man once said something like this: "It is amazing what people can get done if they don't care who gets the credit."
We should strive to place ourselves in positions that, when a certain door is opened, we can do all the good we can for all the people we can in all the ways we can wherever we can. And maybe take pretty good care of ourselves and family along the way...
W. Ying 10+
Everybody should aim at a star-through-mediocrity.
It is because one can not be a star without thinking to be a star. And one has to be a mediocrity if the objective conditions do not permit one to be a star.
This is determined by one’s brain ability and the situation in which he or she is in.
(For details, see the 1st article, point 15, at https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=D24D89AE8B1E2E0D&id=D24D89AE8B1E2E0D%21283&sc=documents.)
Kareem Fahim
I recommend this amazing Ted talk: TEDxKarachi 2011 - Imran Khan - Never Give up on Your Dreams
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmbs8ihPrlg
Kerry Reid
george lockwood 20+
Marlon Jones
It Couldn’t Be Done By Edgar Albert Guest
Somebody said that it couldn’t be done
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it!
richard moody jr
Jedrek Stepien 10+
Fritzie Reisner 100+
Then you say that if dreams are at odds with convention, they are branded silly or impractical. For this claim, I would love to see an example, because I have a feeling that that might be a bit of exaggeration.
Here is why I am asking. I noticed a few months ago on TED a few cases of young people, maybe fifteen years old, distraught because they felt they would never be another Isaac Newton or Einstein in physics. Because of this thought- that they might not become figures of that stature in the area that interested them, they felt they needed to quit physics and become something ordinary, "like an engineer."
This is where that advice to reach for the stars starts sometimes to seem a bit oversimplified to be helpful. There is nothing wrong with studying hard to try to be one in a billion in terms of attainment in your field but it is a problem if ones dreams are so narrowly defined.
I spent a chunk of my professional life working with, and doing programming for, highly gifted adolescents and teens. I have seen too many young people veer away from the subject they were most passionate about because some other kid or four at school was better at it and also working hard at it.
This was a loss to the kid and also potentially for the world.
There is a big difference between mediocrity and Isaac Newton. Aiming to be outstanding in something or things you care about is a gratifying version of reaching for the stars. It is good to have some challenging intermediate steps as well that you can work hard toward and feel great about when you attain them.
pat gilbert 50+
The very substance of life is made of dreams.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc7oZ9yWqO4
edward long 100+
Jerry Yang 500+
Krisztián Pintér 200+
Xavier Belvemont 30+
Nothing is more silly than having one life to live and to live it solely in the style of a cog in a machine
and nothing is more financially and creatively more impractical than living in the way of the status quo.
Always keep dreaming and reaching for better things and to hell with those who ridicule you for it.
If their opinions don't matter when you're at the top, then they don't matter when you're on your way.
Christopher Fisher
John Smith 30+
Dream, but make your dreams about something other than your career. Put the effort in your private life. That's not going to be enough for some people, but they can put all their efforts into their careers, while most people wouldn't really miss being a vice president if they had a better private life. A higher than average corporate position (which is the only claim to fame of most "successful" people) does not really mean you have a successful life. On the other hand it's important for young people to know that if they are smart and work hard enough they can, in principle, become an astronaut or prime minister, even if they weren't born with a silver spoon in their mouths, that requires affordable education and meritocratic institutions.