Over Exposure to Potentially Lethal Levels of Mediocrity.

Leading to a slow suffocation of inspiration, motivation and aspiration.

There are a handful of people that I find intriguing at the time of writing.

Four to be exact.

Two are dead. One is inactive and unable to do the things he once did, at least to the extent that he once did them. One is still alive and as inspirational (to me) and productive as ever.

The definition of intriguing is “arousing ones curiosity. Fascinating. Very interesting because of being unusual or mysterious. Engaging interest to a marked degree.”

They are/were highly creative people. All share a deep love of art, music and producing things. Highly personal things, that move them within on a deep level, that they then chose to share with the world on a take it or leave it basis. Acceptance and appreciation were always welcomed but never sought. And that in itself brings a freedom to create without limits or boundaries, except those imposed by personal tastes and preferences.

So I’m trying to zone in on them, to hear as much of their recollections of life, trials, tribulations, successes, failures, thoughts, opinions and advice as possible.

The internet has made accessing sources of inspiration infinitely easier than it once was. YouTube is a treasure trove of old interviews, long forgotten gigs, movie clips, sporting events and everything else under the sun. No matter what your interests are, YouTube will hold a vast array of material for you to get lost in and then algorithmically suggest other things you may not have been aware of. This is a huge plus but of course the last few years in particular have seen YouTube, among so many others, play their part in the censorship and suppression of content; not to mention the millions of uploads and channels it hosts that spout trash content, with no substance or real value, for the purpose of monetisation and clicks.

Its hard not be be nostalgic for pre-internet days if you’ve been blessed to have experienced them, despite some of the benefits it has brought. Which brings me back to the possibly over-blown title of this piece.

Over exposure to potentially lethal levels of mediocrity.

Remember The Incredible Hulk TV series from the late 70’s/early 80’s? It aired on a Friday night in the UK and I sat up late to watch it as a child. It was terrifying and gripping at the same time. The main character, Dr. David Banner, experiments on himself with Gamma radiation resulting in him transforming into a raging green hulk when he gets angry. He reverts back to himself after a time but only until he gets angry again. Over exposure to potentially lethal levels of radiation altered him permanently and changed him into an uncontrollable monster.

In the same way, over exposure to potentially lethal levels of mediocrity can transform us into unproductive, dribbling zombies. We don’t need a high tech laboratory and a huge budget for research and equipment. We have mobile phones, laptops, social media platforms, high speed broadband and unlimited data plans. And seemingly a lot of time to spend on them despite everyone being busy in real life. Scrolling is a plague that affects us all. Doom scrolling through the news, mindless scrolling down endless TikTok feeds, algorithmically suggested based on our ‘preferences.’

If the preferences are lacking in substance and depth, your feed will reflect this. Think about this for a second. They are literally feeding you with trash content and you are literally consuming it via your eyes and ears and straight into your brain. You know it, they know it and yet we continue. Bad habits take time to get established and can be hell to break. Yet they can be broken and replaced by good habits, productive habits.

Aside from the damage that constantly watching tripe can do to your brain (and your body) it is depressing. When you see what masquerades as talent and is lapped up by millions and given a platform and the appearance of success, it can cause you to question your own sanity. Up is down, good is bad, truth is lies and numbing mediocrity is the new benchmark for getting ahead. The shallower the better.

But, thats just my opinion. If you’re into watching 30 second clips of middle aged nobodies lip synching and twerking badly to rap music, knock yourself out. Or teenagers running through shopping malls ‘pranking’ unfortunate members of the public, go ahead, indulge yourself.

Which takes me back to my opening few paragraphs. My own personal antidote to ever present sources of brain venom. Zero in on people and things that genuinely inspire or intrigue you. Let the algorithms work in your favour. Train them to strengthen and serve you, not to weaken and deplete you. Or better still, ditch the online algorithms completely and spend more time in the real world, with real people, reading real books, exposed to real light and doing real things.

I say this, typing on my laptop, on my Substack page, to upload using my internet connection and for you to consume digitally. Oh, the hypocrisy!

Well, I’m off out to get some fresh air now. After you read this, I advise you to do the same.

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If you feel an overwhelming urge to keep me caffeinated and motivated, you can do so

Rick.