The Forgotten Importance of Mediocrity

Its all in the fingers, or is it?

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Slowy
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The Forgotten Importance of Mediocrity

Post by Slowy »

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/29/opin ... pockethits

I urge you to invest 4 minutes in reading this article from the New York Times. It will speak to many of us. :)
Beyond a critical point within a finite space, freedom diminishes as numbers increase. This is as true of humans as it is of gas molecules in a sealed flask. The human question is not how many can possibly survive within the system, but what kind of existence is possible for those who so survive.

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Re: The Forgotten Importance of Mediocrity

Post by sizzlingbadger »

So true
Tube amp and guitar tones straight from 1958… amazing how believable the sounds were back then, even without the modellers...

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Re: The Forgotten Importance of Mediocrity

Post by Danger Mouse »

Nope, doesn't speak to me in the slightest.

Mind you, I have achieved mediocrity in so many things, professionally and personally, that I have long accepted it is who I am and what I am capable of. Effortless levels of mediocrity are what I strive for. If it gets too hard, I'll go be mediocre at something else.

Can I manage to be good at some of them? Yep, which is more than good enough, excellent is far too much like hard work.
The older I get, the more disappointed in myself I become.

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Re: The Forgotten Importance of Mediocrity

Post by JHorner »

I've been cruising through life achieving excellence at nothing since '79

That columnist is a try hard.

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Re: The Forgotten Importance of Mediocrity

Post by Molly »

I tend to give too much time to my hobbies. I wonder how much I could've achieved if so much guitar-related crap didn't keep pushing its way to the front of my mind.

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Re: The Forgotten Importance of Mediocrity

Post by Slowy »

Molly wrote:I tend to give too much time to my hobbies. I wonder how much I could've achieved if so much guitar-related crap didn't keep pushing its way to the front of my mind.
For all the good hard work has done me over the years, I probably should have played more guitar.
Beyond a critical point within a finite space, freedom diminishes as numbers increase. This is as true of humans as it is of gas molecules in a sealed flask. The human question is not how many can possibly survive within the system, but what kind of existence is possible for those who so survive.

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Re: The Forgotten Importance of Mediocrity

Post by jeremyb »

Molly wrote:I tend to give too much time to my hobbies. I wonder how much I could've achieved if so much guitar-related crap didn't keep pushing its way to the front of my mind.
You would just have another hobby that you have the same behaviour with, it's human nature :) At least you've got really good at guitar, I've dithered back and forth across a multitude of hobbies and never got more than mediocre at any of them, so now I'm focusing on being a great Dad, thats given me some meaning and then the rest of the stuff can just be for fun :)
Slowy wrote: That's the problem; everything rewarding is just such hard work. Regret takes much less effort.

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Re: The Forgotten Importance of Mediocrity

Post by calling card »

Those values are far from mediocrity :)
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Re: The Forgotten Importance of Mediocrity

Post by olegmcnoleg »

Only took me 1 minute to read as my hobby is speed reading and I’m really good at it, thanks to all the practice I do.



:-)

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Re: The Forgotten Importance of Mediocrity

Post by HappyEnding »

jeremyb wrote:
Molly wrote:I tend to give too much time to my hobbies. I wonder how much I could've achieved if so much guitar-related crap didn't keep pushing its way to the front of my mind.
You would just have another hobby that you have the same behaviour with, it's human nature :) At least you've got really good at guitar, I've dithered back and forth across a multitude of hobbies and never got more than mediocre at any of them, so now I'm focusing on being a great Dad, thats given me some meaning and then the rest of the stuff can just be for fun :)
That’s agreeably profound. And in accordance with the intent of the quoted article: have hobbies but don't be pressured by them.

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Re: The Forgotten Importance of Mediocrity

Post by Slowy »

olegmcnoleg wrote:Only took me 1 minute to read as my hobby is speed reading and I’m really good at it, thanks to all the practice I do.



:-)
I have never caught a whiff of mediocrity around you, Oleg. I’d go as far as saying you have no place in this thread :-)
Beyond a critical point within a finite space, freedom diminishes as numbers increase. This is as true of humans as it is of gas molecules in a sealed flask. The human question is not how many can possibly survive within the system, but what kind of existence is possible for those who so survive.

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Re: The Forgotten Importance of Mediocrity

Post by Mini Forklift »

I dive headlong into a sport for a few years and then either end up getting bored or burnt out.

Cycling/Triathlon/Powerlifting/ultramarathons

I guess the positive is that this has allowed me to remain injury free, plus getting solid experience in a number of different sports. But staying true to this thread the end result is that I’m fantastically average in all of them; who knows if I could have actually achieved something if I had focused on just one.

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Re: The Forgotten Importance of Mediocrity

Post by jeremyb »

HappyEnding wrote:
jeremyb wrote:
Molly wrote:I tend to give too much time to my hobbies. I wonder how much I could've achieved if so much guitar-related crap didn't keep pushing its way to the front of my mind.
You would just have another hobby that you have the same behaviour with, it's human nature :) At least you've got really good at guitar, I've dithered back and forth across a multitude of hobbies and never got more than mediocre at any of them, so now I'm focusing on being a great Dad, thats given me some meaning and then the rest of the stuff can just be for fun :)
That’s agreeably profound. And in accordance with the intent of the quoted article: have hobbies but don't be pressured by them.
Funnily enough I didn't read the article :rofl: should really get round to that :mrgreen:
Slowy wrote: That's the problem; everything rewarding is just such hard work. Regret takes much less effort.

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Re: The Forgotten Importance of Mediocrity

Post by chur »

Molly wrote:I tend to give too much time to my hobbies. I wonder how much I could've achieved if so much guitar-related crap didn't keep pushing its way to the front of my mind.
I think about it a lot, and watch a lot of youtube, if only I actually practiced as much..
No one ever died of hard work.. but why take the risk..

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Re: The Forgotten Importance of Mediocrity

Post by Molly »

chur wrote:
Molly wrote:I tend to give too much time to my hobbies. I wonder how much I could've achieved if so much guitar-related crap didn't keep pushing its way to the front of my mind.
I think about it a lot, and watch a lot of youtube, if only I actually practiced as much..
This is me too. I think having a band would change things.

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