Mediocrity

My buddy Scott and I were talking about mediocrity the other day in regards to kids and parents these days. This of course is not all encompassing of all kids and parents, just the portion we were talking about. Mediocrity is the state of being mediocre, which means being of average quality. Average. Isn't that a word that has a weird mind twist meaning? It has positive connotations if you are doing poorly, or it has negative connotations if you are doing well. I can't remember ever being in a state of mind where being "average" was a place I wanted to be. Oddly enough it seems to be the common meeting ground for so many now. Is it entitlement? Is it laziness? Is it lack of ability? Is it falling short? I have a theory but it has zero weight to back it up other than my opinion. I teach American history. I teach about men and women who never even knew the definition of mediocre. Mediocre meant not defeating the British in the Revolutionary War. Mediocre meant the constitution would have fallen short of being the most powerful document in the world today. These men and women wouldn't have been a part of Scott and I's conversation. Instead we are talking about generations later of young men that lost something their ancestors had. I'm not blaming anyone, nor am I calling out a generation that is just a mere 10 years away from me. I am bringing up a bigger issue that over the years, decades, and centuries has evolved into "part" of our society today, entitlement, greed, arrogance. Look no further than our high school seniors that declare on national TV where they are attending college with hats, puppies, and gimmicks. I worry that the generation we are raising in that spotlight is just adding to the problem. I am sure when I was an 18 year old we did things to piss the older people off, as did they. How can we change it? Do we need to change it? Is it good for our future or will it continue to send us down a road of politicians that send pictures of themselves to online classified girls. Is the over the top desire to prove our worth through these stunts the work to overcome mediocrity? Does it make us more mediocre, I don't know, just like I don't know how I got so far off topic.