Mediocre happiness is often neglected, or even despised, in reality.
Nevertheless, mediocre happiness in reality is truest, and is thus irresistible.
People always long for silence in noisiness, relaxation in busy time, and solitary in complicated time. Having toughed it out in the modern times full of materialism and rat race, people now have the yearning for returning to simplicity and nature.
We advocate “struggle”, “never give up”, and “fight against” fate, but it’s not everyone who can possess this spirit, and not everyone who can survive the “struggle” and “fighting”.
Then, living an ordinary life as an ordinary person is undoubtedly a commendable and most sought-after “mediocrity”.
Some people say mediocrity is a terrible depression, because they despise the real life, and mix up the relationship between common and great. In real life, it is not uncommon for parents to place high hopes on their children, for teachers to place high hopes on their students, and for superiors to place high hopes on their subordinates; and between friends as well as husband and wife, they also have high hopes for each other. People are in the habit of treating life as competitive sports, but life has no commanding height. In our current society, parents hope their children will have a bright future, teachers hope their students will acquire good “placing for their class”, good “placing for their school”, and fight their way to elite schools, and so on and so forth, thus turning the students into learning robots. How can these “bookworms” take on great responsibilities if they have high scores but low abilities and “are only busy studying classics and ignore what is going on in the immediate surroundings”? Children without childhood fun and students without creativity have lost their happiness that they deserved. Those superiors and subordinates, friends, as well as husbands and wives who worship success, have indeed distorted the relationship between themselves. It is sometimes really so intolerant in our current society where people can excuse themselves for being busy working in vain, and yet have the delusion of getting honour and profit from success by their other parties. Some people would often do whatever by hook or by crook in order to please the other party. With a sophisticated and narrow-minded mentality, they live in depression, anxiety, discontent, indignation, and even hatred. There is no such thing as happiness in their lives.
In fact, success and failure is only a very abstract concept. Be it good or bad, it is only an experience in life. What is important in life is the experience of having been there and having tried a variety of tastes, and only then you would not get lost.
Life as a process will eventually elapse, but if one can take on mediocrity during the process, it is indeed a wise move. People all complain that the complicated society, the complex interpersonal relationship, and the environment with fierce competition often oppress us, leaving no peace with us. We do need an intrinsic calm to timely restore a maimed and swollen heart after extreme throbbing, and in the journey of life let our souls find a station that is cushy and gentle, peaceful and forgiving, in order to face mediocrity with an appreciating and consoling heart, and live a rich life with no hardships.
Taking on mediocrity is a state of mind, and it is not easy to possess this mindset. Life is full of too much temptation, and only with willingness to be mediocre can one resist temptation. Of course, everybody has a right to choose a lifestyle. I don’t wish to swim with the tide just to get the seemingly rigorous style, and longing for the mediocre happiness is only my lifestyle, despite the saying “if you don’t fight now, when will it be”. My own interrogation has certainly gone sideways. Every step forward and every great progress made are all taken as active life.
Longing for mediocre happiness is not having a passive life. In fact, everybody has made great efforts and paid the price in real life, but not everybody can reach certain commanding height. Only with the ability to calmly face the feeling of getting lost and disregard fame, wealth and position, can one have a clear mind to take stock of the past and get hold of the future, while setting free the exhausted body and mind, and keeping the soul sober in tranquility.
You can live a free and easy life in the truth of mediocrity. Maybe nobody is willing to be mediocre, as we may have to bear with isolation, discretion, having “sadly beautiful” outcome, the feeling of getting lost, and touchy sentiment. But to be able to find truth and keep one’s natural frame of mind and far-reaching sentiment, is undoubtedly a kind of happiness.