Blowing Off The Wind Of Mediocrity

It is quite acceptable that we are born equally but we do not stay equal for so long, because we are differently created with varying abilities. However, many youths of our nation have not really identified the actual purpose of their existence, thus a whole lot of persons chase the wind fruitlessly. With the benefit of hindsight and insights, we are losing a good percentage of the youths of our country, to the mighty wind of mediocrity. Mediocrity is an awful state whereby an individual has only an average degree of quality or skills, which are not enough to make a person live his dream and become synonymous with success. It is an unfortunate fact that something is fundamentally missing in our education system to the extent that many Nigerian graduates are not only highly unemployed or under-employed, but worse still, a good number are grossly unemployable. This is the biting consequence of being mediocre.

It is increasingly apparent that many of our youths, round the walls of our nation, are far from exploiting the many opportunities of success and purposeful living. A good number has taken to the music industry, giving the opportunities that abound an awesome try that turned out pretty impressively. The likes of Davido, Wizkid, PSquare, 2face and the litany of persons in the music industry recording huge successes keeps soaring high as the day goes by. They do not need to move from one office to another in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt with their CVs, hungrily searching for what we call ‘white collar jobs’ which are not easy to come by.

A negligible number of youths are fortunate to have jobs at the financial institutions, oil companies, public offices and sections of the retail outlets. Funnily, so many wallow in political associations, wrongly indoctrinated with hard religious beliefs that culminate in violence, others engaging in crippling fun seeking, fruitless adventures that are dangerous and a lot more. Too many opportunities and wealth sources lie untried. Little wonder it is said, the richest place on earth is not the oil fields of Saudi Arabia or Nigeria, or the gold in South Africa but rather the grave yard, because there lays dreams that never saw the light of the day, projects that were never executed, books that were never written, ideas that were never translated into reality. There is nothing as painful as coming to the end of one’s life and realizing that you never lived your dreams.

My people, what happened to the world of skills that we steadily wish away with hisses and the wave of our hand? I mean the same world that built, developed and sustain the great countries and nations that we envy. The towers and beautiful spaces and places in all modern cities are trans-millennial consequences of robust skills. Interestingly, plumbers, mechanics and other elementary skilled personnel are the highest earners in the Londons, Las Vegas’ and Dubais of planet earth.

But here in Nigeria, high preference of short cuts to highways, easy backdoors to long walks is almost eroding that culture of creativity. It is there in our zero appetite for hard work and lack of ideas to fast-track the much needed change in our country. It is there in our yahoo robbery, high joys in clubbing, parties, amorous chatting on social networks, unfocused argument and lack of reading culture. To be mediocre, is to live a never fulfilled life, unrecognized, few happy moments, and always desiring to be someone else; but unwilling to walk in parts of rough roads.

Many are no longer enthusiastic about inventing, innovating or creating, writing and other venture that will stamp their names in the sands of time; and those who dares to try, have their enthusiasm dampened by unprogressive contemporaries, who are contented being mediocre. You have only one life to live; you need not wait and waste time. You are meant to fly high and touch the sky, but first, you must blow off the wind of mediocrity.

ENEMALI THEOPHILUS (THEOMARIO) is a novelist, a broadcaster and a teacher. He is the author of the novel entitled, Homesick in Paradise.