There's a trend that's bothered me throughout school. When peers bragged about the amount of work they didn't do and came out of the class with an A or some other acceptable grade for them. "I didn't even study and I got an A!" "I started that project the night before and made up a few of my sources and I didn't get caught!" "I passed the class with a C, but I don't care, cause I didn't have to do any of the work..." and the likes.
What bothers me about it, after years of experiencing it and hearing it, is not the fact that it was easy for them to do such or they got away with it or I can't do those kinds of things. It's the fact that those people make mediocrity a lifestyle. I've had plenty of tests and projects and classes in general that I've breezed through. I'd go as far to say that I haven't failed anything in school yet. Papers are time consuming and tests require studying, while projects are generally easy. I've never truly "busted my ass" when it came to classes.
I think there's a difference in how I live my life, however. I like a good challenge, I've always gotten really good grades, and I usually put a lot of my time and efforts into what I do during the day. Shooting footage and editing I put myself into it and don't usually quit until I'm at least somewhat happy with it. On top of that, I don't spend the time that I save by getting drunk or carousing or related activities. Instead, I've invested that time into family, friends, other loved ones, and (admittedly) video games. I always have something I try to do on the side. I don't feel content or happy unless I do. At this moment, I attend all events to help out the campus television station, I'm the Program Director for the campus radio station, I'm the producer/director of a student-produced web series, and I write for the University's newspaper's website.
Now, after listing such, I should have prefaced by saying that I'm not trying to make myself out to be a hero; my main point is found in other people's mediocrity. Posting Facebook statuses about successful slacking, Tweeting about how awesome someone thinks they are for holding a job and not having any other aspirations--I don't really get it. Why exactly are those events or situations things to be proud of? These people are essentially telling the world that they oftentimes get lucky with their studies. Not that they are a good worker, or that they really enjoy their work or actually have a passion that burns within their souls. Instead, they come right out and say that they are lazy assholes who can't be bothered "with the commonalities of the general public, because I'm better than that," (this is, of course, speaking on people who have been bragging about their glory for literally years).
The answer can be found in peers, I feel. If you (the reader) were to take a test with 20 other students, a test you didn't study for, and emerged from the test with a damn good score, would you compare yourself to either those who scored worse, or those who scored better? I guarantee that some people (not all, mind you) would look at their decent score and say "I didn't do anything for this and I did better than egghead over there. I must be a genius!" and thus we find our problem. We revel in our mediocrity because we accomplish something that someone else couldn't. Instead of thinking about how things should have been, these people become hyper-focused on their success over others that it actually causes them to believe that they should keep not studying because they are that good. Positive reinforcement encourages repetitive behavior.
There is also fault to be found in the mainstream media concepts of recent times. There are all sorts of feel good movies about people overcoming diversity because they were different. People that seem normal, not containing any supernatural powers; easily identifiable people. Thus, we raise our offspring to believe that they are different and they will change the world. There's a fine difference to telling your child that they have talent and then telling them that they'll definitely be successful as a result of that talent. And, unfortunately, many of my peers who revel in their humdrum lives were raised on the American Dream, by people that never lived the American Dream.
The American Dream only exists for 5% of the population. It cannot be everyone's destiny; there will always exist a middle-class and lower-class.
In the end, even if it seems uneccessary, work and real effort should be put into all aspects of life.
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