Mediocrity rules, don’t you agree to that? Wherever you go, whomsoever you talk, the only thing that can make you connect to your circumstances/people/things is mediocrity. It’s in our DNA. Words like genius or excellence are so very revered which is also an indication of simple demand-supply mismatch. Just imagine, you being termed genius and how happy and high that makes you feel! All of a sudden, you find yourself elevated above mediocre bunch of people surrounding you!
A sociological study says, mediocre people are programmed to like mediocre stuff and mediocre stuffs are designed in
a way that mediocre people have to like them! Confused? Nah, it’s simple actually. Why do you think about phenomenal success of Ghajini, Dabangg, Avatar, Chetan Bhagat etc? Huh, so much for popular choice! No, if you find people proclaiming Dabangg or Ghajini is so full of entertainment or Chetan Bhagat rocks etc, don’t find yourself dismayed. It is just the principle of mediocrity.
Let’s probe further. All humans have a common ancestor about 10,000 years ago and you must be aware of our similarity with bonobos and chimpanzees. Science says, we share about 98% of our DNA with chimpanzees and that makes us a part of biosphere. We were not designed specifically with ample dosage of intellect and blessing from your favorite God or Black Hole or whatever you prefer to call it. We just managed to evolve in a better way. We always assumed that, earth is the centre of universe and everything else rotates around us. But it needed a Galileo or Copernicus to prove this basic truth but before that churches and Pandits and Maulavis etc etc had burned/prisoned and tortured many souls for propagating this blasphemous truth.
So the fact is universe is substantially larger than humans first thought. We also took our own sweet time to realize; Milky Way Galaxy is just one of thousands of galaxies. So the final conclusion according to Copernican principle of Mediocrity was “Earth is a relatively ordinary planet orbiting a relatively ordinary star in a relatively ordinary galaxy which is one of countless others in a giant universe, possibly within an infinite multiverse”. Lest we forget to add, “Inhabited by billions of ordinary animals known as humans”!
So when everything is so mediocre about our existence then why are we so afraid about accepting our mediocrity? Intellect is a romanticized term and almost every one of us, feels like possessing it. Trust me, this is not a self-deprecatory defense mechanism employed by me to hide my own inadequacies or evoke a feeling of brotherhood or a futile attempt to assuage my perpetual self-doubt by praising me. The thought has remained with me for a while. As I mentioned while starting this topic, mediocrity is everywhere.
Some people might frown over this optimistic/pessimistic view (you see that glass half full / half empty crap). But here gain, it’s our myopic view that makes us think and popularise that glass metaphor. It’s so damn cheesy. You can be a realist or a spiritualist or a mix of both also. A realist will say, glass is half full and half empty. No more no less. Whereas a spiritualist will say, it doesn’t really matter. If finding the glass half-full makes you feel good, feel that or you can simply say, there is just a glass and some water. You refuse to bind yourself with limited notion of half full and half empty idiotic rhetoric.
Coming back to the track, I am not trying to propound a grand theory here. I am simply stating the obvious. I also accept, I have got no right to judge what is mediocre and what is not. In fact, mediocre people have got everything. I will be forced to cite examples of Chetan Bhagat, Twilight, Himesh Reshammiya, Ghajini, Shilpa Shetty, Big Boss, Roadies and should I dare to say, George Bush et al. Yes, mediocrity rules and it’s a common trait binding all of us. Else, there would always be a class chasm.
It’s illusive to find genius people. Despite trying hard, concentrating for few minutes, I couldn’t find one single person, I could term as genius, who could inspire me. So where do you look? Facebook, Orkut etc? Well, there also, a large percentage of people are mediocre and narcissists. Just like me. That’s why they connect with me and vice versa.
Honestly, I am not here to champion the cause of mediocrity nor am I asking you to forget the idea of running behind excellence. If you can reach perfection, go for it. I will love to watch your progress but yes, you can go only as far as what your society allows you to. Yes, there is always a possibility of you being the one who redefined norms and conventions but for that, you need to stretch beyond your DNA genesis.
If mediocrity rules, so be it. And if you are still reading this post, you have already made your stand clear.
Image source:- shannonstanley.wordpress.com
Silent Whispers 
Why Should You Watch a Movie Alone
Posted by Mrityunjay on August 12, 2010
Few months back, I got an opportunity to watch the monstrous hit of the century, “Avatar” in the theatre with 3 friends of mine. Yes, you can ask me about, was Avatar my last movie in a cinema hall? Yes, it was. Boggled? Okay, don’t be! I will tell my reason for why I did not watch any other movie in theater since then, later in the post. Now, coming back to my ‘Avatar’ experience, the film was of course as entertaining as movie critics, reviews and friends would have me believe but there were quite a few things that perturbed me during my movie experience.
First things first. If the movie was supposed to begin at 1.00 PM, it has to start at 1.20 PM simply because they will have us bombarded with cheesy adverts and hilarious trailers and of course, make us stand on our National Anthem. Yes, that’s the only time we are supposed to listen and respect the ‘Jana Gana Mana’ anthem. You are expected to be silent, attentive, tuned and respectful and if you are not, within few seconds, you will have to face unfriendly stares and you never know, someone might come over to you and brand you as anti-national or a terrorist. Okay, last part might be an exaggeration but you get the idea what could happen over there.
Soon, the movie began but with that also began hell lot of munching, chatting and obscene comments. No, this is not a scene from a single screen theatre but of a popular multiplex where only affluent citizens and educated people are expected to shell out hefty money and enjoy the experience of watching a 3D movie. Errr..That’s just the beginning. Lights went off and here comes avalanche of fascinating comments from backseats. “Do you think that can happen in real?” “That chick looks hot” “I have seen this movie” “Now, the next scene is this…that” “I have a date tonight”. Etc etc.
On one hand, you are trying to concentrate on the movie and dialogue but these ‘experts’ won’t let you do so. Once you get adjusted to their blabbering, you try to refocus on the movie and out of blue, you listen ‘Shakira Shakira, O baby when you dance like that..’. Avatar had ‘Hips don’t lie’ song? Nah, you are mistaken my friend. It’s a ring tone ringing at loudest possible voice. You turn back and try staring at the person carrying the mobile but you find him talking loudly on the phone and his fellow seat-mates have no objection to that! Wow, great beginning.
Okay, this too shall pass away, you repeat in your mind. A peaceful 10 minutes passes when you find yourself in the midst of a genuine anarchy when some little angel starts crying at high decibel. Screw Navi’s! Here is the one little sod who is needed to be teleported to the distant planet. You feel helpless and start praying for kid’s parents to shut the little devil’s mouth.
I will repeat again. Why the hell parents bring their infants to the theater? People are very annoying by nature but children…they are just…No, I love kids but never ever in theater. I assume myself to be a accepting and generous soul but in a theatre where you have gone for some real good experience after shelling out hefty sums on tickets, popcorns and whatever, I start feeling broken.
Constant chattering, ringing cell phones, turbulent kids totally ruin the experience of watching a movie. Personally, I would much rather prefer to watch a movie all alone so that I can breathe it, experience it, be the character, laugh and cry as well. A film demands to be seen closely. I would prefer to analyze it, study it and make my own judgment but it has become almost impossible to witness silent audiences in a packed cinema. Why would I discuss a movie while watching it? I would rather prefer to talk about it after 2-3 hours of rapt attention.
Insensitive banters of kids and adults in the theatre make you miss huge chunks of the film. And bantering is not the only thing here. You are also expected to handle encroachment of your personal space in forms of someone kicking you in the back of your seat, your neighbor forcing his/her wrists on the drinks holder or even someone yawning with his full might! Can you still claim to enjoy sitting at the cinema?
I know, my problems don’t concern you but of all you readers, even if one empathize with me, I will feel much better and liberated, perhaps. So what is the option? Either you go alone or you go when movie is no more the talk of the town or you just get a DVD, start your laptop, switch off your phone and just enjoy the solitude of the movie. Plus, if you are watching a movie weeks or months after its release, you are more likely to be not influenced by critics, newspaper ratings, reviews, friend’s opinions, forced hype, and uncomfortable buzz etc. Applying the logical side of the brain becomes much easier when the hype is dead.
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Posted in Movies | Tagged: Avatar, Jana Gana Mana, movie comments, movie experience, movie reviews, National anthem, watching movie alone, what spoils the movie experience | 11 Comments »