What will we do & why?

On meaning & mediocrity in a post-grad, real world

Lately, I’ve had this thought, a thought about people and accomplishments, about motivation and meaning, and what does it all even mean. What does it mean to be successful?

In college, I was involved. In high school, I was involved. I wanted to do something, because I cared, and I believed myself to be surrounded by like minded-people. Which brings me to my main point, a new-found, real world realization.

It’s incredible how mediocre people will be when not presented with any reason to be otherwise.

I have friends who were always involved. Who were supposedly active and passionate about a cause just last year. But now, they’re on their way back to a new school or some job at a bank. They have the acceptance letter; there is no need to contribute anymore. They’ll get a fancy, important-sounding job and feel important too. So, is that it?

I suppose this makes it easy. Go back to some fancy program. Get a basic job. Make some money and work our way up. But I thought this was about something more - I thought that was what we all thought? Apparently, to think that way in the real world- to care, think, to want to do something - is crazy.

A while back, I found this speech by Willian Deresiewicz, delivered in 2009 at West Point. It’s about solitude and leadership and making a real difference in the world. About not being afraid to trust yourself. It’s a beautiful speech, albeit long, but absolutely worth the read. I personally could not have discovered it at a more perfect time.

At some point, I think that everyone should read it, and think about it. Contemplate it.

Really, anyone can follow rules. Anyone can pass a test. Seriously, anyone. We can all check boxes,and climb ladders, and jump through hoops. Over and over again growing up, we may have had to do to get where we are. And even still, over and over again growing up, we were told that we can do anything that we set our minds to, and I wholeheartedly believe that. But what exactly are we setting our minds to, now that we have a choice?

Can we set our minds to do something meaningful? Something incredible? Something beyond mere absorption and spitting out of information? Beyond meeting deadlines and not questioning our superiors? Beyond making it to this magical ‘top?’

The question is no longer, can we do it or how will we do it, but what will we do and why?

I haven’t answered that question yet. But I do know, at least, that I will not settle for something meaningless, despite how easy and comfortable that meaningless something may be. My mind is set.

Doing what we care about is terrifying. Thinking, feeling passion is terrifying. Solitude is terrifying.

But at the end of the day, all of these actions, these behaviors are far, far less terrifying than at least one thing. Mediocrity.

Mediocrity and the trauma of knowing that you were created to do so much more, but did not.