The in-between..

They say you’ve got to excel in what you do. You have got to be the best. There’s this crazy obsession with being “perfect”. Mediocre won’t do. Nothing less than “perfect” is acceptable.

Everyone wants the perfect job, the perfect man/woman, the perfect car, the perfect figure, the perfect apartment… the list is endless. Why settle for average, when you can land “perfection”? “Land” being the operative word here. In this world, there are the go-getters and the settlers. The former work relentlessly, in pursuit of all their dreams and/or goals; and the latter meekly accept whatever they get and settle for something that’s more often than not, less than what they deserve. But there will also be some that don’t fall neatly under such labels.

What happened to the in-between? What if you’re good, but not the best at doing something, anything! What happened to good grades? Where does the mediocre stuff go? Granted, mediocre will never be at par with the best, but surely it’s better than the worst! That has to amount to something, right?

Even yesterday, while I was at a bakery to purchase a cake, (New Year’s Eve and all that!) I saw a couple ask for a replacement for the cake they’d initially bought, just because the icing on another cake looked better! I know and accept that I’m in no position to judge anyone. They are the ones who were paying for the cake, and so they deserve a right to choose. But I felt a considerable amount of emotion on behalf of all things that were good, but not good enough to be the best! (Even if the object in question was inanimate.) It was only then that I pondered about humanity’s obsession with perfection. Yeah, myself included.

Is it just me, or is this world really as cut-throat as it seems to be!? There might be a counter argument that could be raised – if you’re not the best, then you have to find some way to be the best. As practical and pragmatic as that sounds, it’s not always feasible. But what most people fail to notice is that sometimes a change of that magnitude can alter the very identity of the person/object in question. Is perfection worth all that trouble?

And now here’s the million dollar question – what happens to all that stuff in-between? In case you are wondering what became of that cake, I’m sure there might be someone willing to buy it (even if it’s for a reduced price.) My heart goes out to all the stuff that are good, but not perfect.

© 2016 Shweta Suresh. All rights reserved.

Image courtesy: Pixabay