One of the reasons this is so funny is because of America's uneasy relationship with excellence. On the one hand we exalt winners, paying athletes obscene amounts of money and making the Superbowl the most watched thing on television. At the same time, however, we refuse to acknowledge how great an achievement what they are doing actually is by awarding people of all skill levels, giving a's for effort and trophies to every little league team.Some people have lamented that this is corroding America's ingenuity and drive. Why work hard to get to the top when you can receive ribbons and accolades for merely showing up. And if you cannot even manage mediocrity, if you are so far below average, or cannot be bothered to even show up, you can blame it on society and maybe get a feel good segment on Oprah. The problem, however, is more than one of economics, it is concerns the human spirit.
The primary problem is, I believe, two-fold. First, if we teach children to be complacent with mediocrity and reward them just for trying, they will cease to push themselves. This is bad for society for the next Mozart, the next Picasso, Einstein, Frank Lloyd Wright, the next David Beckham might be out there, but if people are not challenged and continually encouraged to test their limits, they will not achieve their full potential. Secondly, failure is itself crucial for the human life. As imperfect creatures imperfection is part of everything we do. People learn from failure: they learn about themselves, they learn about their humanity, they learn that they cannot be self sufficient but must rely on others. So glossing over failure and elevating everyone, regardless of merit, to the same level deprives people of an important learning experience and part of being human. After all, to err is human.
1 comment:
Have you noticed, too, that we are reluctant to do something unless we think it will be worthy of a medal or accolade of some kind?
Don't write the novel unless you can publish it, for example...we don't have a sense of things having value in themselves, just the doing of them. I sort of have this suspicion that it's better to write a flawed novel than not to write one at all, but the American achiever in me shouts that proposition down pretty loudly.
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