The Idea Shop

Our generation looks up to the few titans that seemingly moved the world with their abilities and contributions to the world.

For technology we have: Bill Gates with Microsoft, Steve Wozniak of Apple, Larry Page and Sergey Brin of Google.
Science: Our very own Leon Lederman, whose discovery of the muon neutrino and bottom quark leaves a mark in every physics textbook, Stephen Hawkings, for achieving so much despite his numerous disabilities.
Politics: Bill Clinton
Sports: Michael Jordan

Mr. Rogers made sure that we knew we were all special, Barney told us we would be loved no matter what, and the teletubbies seemed just to promote tele-tubby custard. You pair that with our parents telling us that each of us can be "anything we want to be", and it seems like you're close to Utopia. WRONG! We have bred a spirit of mediocrity where the phrase becomes "Oh, I can do what Bill Gates did...I insert excuse here"

1.) just don't want to
2.) don't want to work that hard
3.) don't care though.

So here I am to tell you the truth. Take any one of us out the world right now, and the fact is that the world would not care. True there will be one more empty seat in Chem... but all you are is a butterfly...and I'm telling you your effect does not stir tornadoes in Jakarta. In essence, the world does not need you, it does not need me.

Some will say, wait..."if I become a good doctor, will I not save hundreds of lives, which changes the future?" Take a look around princess, there's a room-full of people who are capable of doing the same thing that you are making your highest goals, that you believe will set you above mediocrity. Remove you, and the hospital finds another like you. After all, it's not just your class that churns out pre-meds, but every campus in the thousands of schools across the world. So, I ask you now, have you broken mediocrity?

Instead, think about the teacher who goes in and truly makes a difference in her students. Somebody who inspires them to be a doctor rather than drop out of school. Not everybody has the patience, the ability to communicate, the leadership of becoming a good teacher. I would argue that this person has become something great. Turning back to the pre-meds, not all is lost. Think about the people in our generation who will cure cancer, remove the suffering of those with AIDS, and find the cause of diabetes. Hard-work and sacrifice makes us into these worthwhile servants of society. These are the people society recognizes and needs.

For those who are Christian, He gave us Talents, do not be the servant who simply buries it...or even the one that makes only one Talent for his Master. Each one of us ARE special, now realize your strengths and weaknesses and apply them. The keyword is "servants". Let us not let down the world.

For the many of us who are deciding on a career path, remember that how we end our lives in 50-60 years is just a sum of all of our everyday actions right now. With the goals that many of us have right now, even if we achieve them, if this article finally hits home at the age of 50, we will realize that we have been doing nothing worthwhile with our lives. Consider this: I'm an econ major. My job right now is to study and do the best I can to absorb the knowledge around me. Nothing special about that. There are millions of other econ students doing almost the same thing as me. What sets me apart to do something extraordinary lies in three places.

1.) The skill set to allow me to become a great economist
2.) The right goals with what I'm going to do as a "great economist"
3.) The passion for the work that it entails.

I will never be 6'7" and "be like Mike", nor will I be able to memorize what the parts of the body are and what to do when one hurts. My skill sets allow me to analyze human thoughts about money and react on it. Sure I can choose to be a doctor or basketball player, but there will be thousands with the potential to be better than I am. So instead of becoming the 1001st doctor, I will choose to go into a field where I know few have my potential.

Similarly, I have to have a goal that complements my potential. The person next to me may be studying econ just as hard as I am and have the same skill set. He's like many of us, studying to pass the next test and someday get a random job that will pay well. But, if I'm doing it so that my knowledge may one day benefit an impoverished nation that suffers from bad government economic policy, I'm the only one on the path to extraordinary deeds.

Finally is the passion. If I care nothing for helping people or the workings of the "Leviathan" which is our economic system, then both my goals and my job mean nothing. The work that my goals and occupation entails must be something I truly enjoy, or else I will never make the sacrifices necessary to reach my goal. Instead, it's passions combined with our skill-set that should determine our goals.

After all this downing thought, I would like to remind all of us that each of the Titans are also born into mediocrity. Bill Clinton came from an abusive single-parent home after his father, a salesperson, died in his childhood. His hardwork and motivated heart led him to become the able-leader that America needed for a decade of prosperity, positively influencing billions of people around the world. Most people would have given up in Stephen Hawking's shoes, but he ran the extra mile so that his mind could be a blessing to the world. So once again I'll ask you, can you and will you break out of mediocrity?

Each of us can do it.