Simply defined mediocrity means average. And that describes most of us. It's no bad thing either, for I believe mediocrities are the working majority. We need this 'force' to take care of the details, to execute these details. I prefer to call them implementors, facilitators, translators of vision into reality. I would never underestimate their value. In this context, I feel the word 'mediocre' is misleading and unfair. Mediocrity — the incidence and level of—is also conditional to exposure and opportunities. We tend, however, to overplay these aspects, and use them as an excuse for underperformance.

I respect mediocre people. If only the mediocre too would respect themselves! Because really, what they imagine to be their limitations are their strengths. The world cannot just be made of visionaries and planners.

I often wonder what makes us mediocre apart from circumstances of birth and education and exposure. We are now, more than before, jumping economic and class barriers. And discovering the enormous number of things to achieve. The list of possibilities is long, overwhelmingly long. Our first concern is shortening that list. Our first task is setting the 'cannots' and 'dare nots' against the 'cans' and 'wills' with a view to short-term gains and not how well we are leveraging our mind for a big future. In looking to satisfy aspirations while performing these formidable tasks our minds get diverted and focused on that 'list'. We concentrate on whatever helps us achieve as many of these short-term goals as possible. Our preoccupations become hierarchy, level of operation, output, etc. That is, whatever will help us move from our present economic status to a higher one. And we keep moving because that list is so long. We are in a perpetual race to better our physical standards, we are in constant pursuit of tangible benefits. And this is what keeps us mediocre.