The Struggle for Mediocrity

A few nights ago I had improv class. In this particular school, after three hours of class, all the classes meet to share what they've learned by performing for each other. It's a safe space to play & experiment and a fun venue to show off what you're learning. Mine is a musical improv class, and our last act was to close out the evening by singing a song as a group. The job of the first person in the line was to set the tone for the song, and being among actors, I thought for sure everyone would fight for the first spot.

So when our instructors called us to the stage for this final song, I was surprised to see everyone run for the middle like salmon struggling upstream. They wriggled and shoved and squirmed and pushed...all not to be first. What the heck was going on? To put an end to the ridiculous scrum, I moved to the first spot in the line, so that everyone else could be "not first". We sang our song, and while it started out okay, it didn't go well. Predictably, the leader (me, since I was in slot #1) shouldered the blame.

I don't mind taking the hit for my mistakes; I'll learn from it and move on. But I was annoyed and somewhat disgusted by this show of behavior by my classmates. We are actors & students - this is a safe space to play; no one will fire you for sucking. Why, I wondered, would you strive for the middle? Is mediocrity the goal? We pay money for this class. We invest time and energy. It seems to me a waste to avoid learning because we are afraid to fail. If that's the case, why bother?

Throughout my life, my parents told me that the one thing they could give me was my education. That was their legacy for me, and I took that to heart. I studied hard, learned as much as I could, and never took the privilege for granted. And even after grade school, high school, college & even grad school, I haven't stopped learning. Or embracing the mistakes as opportunities to learn. I refuse to be mediocre. If that means taking the first slot in line, so be it.