I desire to live in a vibrant world:
- Like the morning opera of birdsong
- Deeper than the depths of the grandest seas
- Wider than interstellar space
- Without limits of mind, but with full consciousness
Where quiet conversations of curiosity stand out more than apathy. Where the boundaries of thoughts are overcome and actions are as present as rumors.
Where the flow of enthusiasm is conveyed as quickly as the thunderbolt of anger—and bitterness is released from every human limb.
The Paradox
What I desire may be so creative that it cannot be mediocre, or it may be so mediocre that it cannot be creative. I don't know, but what I do know is that one must pave the way for the other—the two cannot coexist.
Greatness Cannot Be Mediocre
The greatness of a person cannot be mediocre—it cannot be average. It is certainly much more than the norm of society.
This greatness begins to crumble when the self is framed within the perception of others about your greatness—living their greatness instead.
With this loss, the chance to see another great person in this world is lost.
Creativity as a Symptom
A mediocre world doesn't see creativity as a gift—it sees it as a symptom of an ailment that needs to be cured to fit into the molds of this world.
It's challenging to maintain greatness in a world that:
- Prejudges thoughts
- Restricts non-conformist expressions
The Source of Progress
The world has never progressed from mediocre people but from their opposites—who have been belittled for a long time.
It's painful to see creativity being killed every day by:
- Those who know what they're doing
- Those who have done it before
- Those who are narrow-minded and closed to any change or disturbance that brings progress
Mediocrity's Many Forms
Mediocrity comes in all forms and ways, and no one is immune to it.
People are destined to be born remarkably unique and choose to die mediocre.
Throughout life, the laws of survival force them to adapt. This is not a bad thing for some people—not everyone can endure the pressure of being consistently excluded.
For Those Who Challenge
But for those who want to challenge these norms, do what they truly want to do, and change something in every aspect of this society—they need to have thick and resilient skin against societal mediocrity.
The Stages:
- Exclusion and abandonment
- Mockery and bullying
- Popular hatred
- Acceptance
- Idolization
The first step is especially difficult—to build a character immune to what others say.
The first wounds come from family, the education system, society, teachers—and so on at every step of life.
The Adventure of Creativity
Creativity is an adventurous exploration of an unknown world.
It's sometimes:
- Painful
- Long
- Challenging
- Not always immediately rewarding
One must be immune to failures.
Not being able to sleep because of ideas swirling in your head is not comfortable—it's painful. But it's extraordinary to live in many worlds at the same time and dream of another world that you can make better.
The Blessing
It's a blessing and great fortune to have the opportunity to dream and think about things you can't have in the present.
It gives:
- Energy
- Strength
- Life
- Power to change things, challenge them, do them differently, experience them, feel them
It's simply extraordinary.
The Stream vs. Stagnant Water
Mediocrity is like stagnant water, and creativity is like a lively and unstoppable stream.
Let's not allow our life that passes in both worlds to stink.
The choice between mediocrity and creativity isn't made once—it's made every single day, in every decision to play it safe or dare to be different.
