Author: Akshat Rathi

Akshat Rathi is a senior reporter for Bloomberg News. He has previously worked at Quartz, The Economist and The Conversation. His writing has appeared in Nature, The Guardian and The Hindu. He has a PhD in chemistry from Oxford University and a BTech in chemical engineering from the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai.

The fear of mediocrity

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There is something I fear more than anything. I see it all around me, but only sometimes it raises its ugly head to shred my mental stability into pieces. That fear is the fear of mediocrity, of having lived a life that most people live on this planet.

Fear can be a good motivational tool, if understood and handled well. For example, the fear of failing can be a really bad thing or a really good thing, it depends on how you approach it. But the fear of mediocrity is unique. It can be a very powerful motivator but one that comes at a heavy price.

The problem with this fear is that those who suffer from it need to toughen up more than anyone else. If not, then it can be so exhausting that one would rather accept mediocrity than face it head-on.

There is no golden bullet to be able to overcome it. The only way to deal with it is to travel this slow, arduous, often difficult uphill journey. I am not kidding when I say that those characteristics are the only ones that signify to me that I am fighting mediocrity. That I am doing what I can to overcome this fear. Otherwise, which is most of the time, I am clueless about whether I am heading in the right direction or not. All I know is that if it seems slow, arduous, and difficult, then I should keep going.

The constancy of this fear is what enables those who are ready to overcome it to do remarkable things. That constancy is absolutely necessary for this to happen. It’s because mediocrity is all around you. Being mediocre, by definition, means being average. When you are surrounded by what makes up the average, if you don’t have that constant itch, you will succumb to being average.

Of course, depending on who you are surrounded by, your definition of mediocre might change. It is something you should be careful about because that can act as a double-edged sword. If you are surrounded by low achievers, then the smallest achievement can be very satisfying. But on the other hand, if you are surrounded by high achievers then the fear of mediocrity can propel you to heights no one has ever achieved.

To end on a lighter note though, here is a conversation between a carton of milk and a muffin. Guess what they are talking about? The fear of mediocrity, of course.

Through twists of light

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Two centuries ago a French engineer noticed something special about light from the sun and discovered the phenomenon of polarisation of light. Now using that property of light scientists have developed a  technique to spot the presence of water and other biological molecules on the many Earth-like planets. With more powerful telescopes being built, they might just be able to search for life through the twists of light.

In search of light through the twists of light – Science Oxford, 20 March 2012

Understanding the Rise of China

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Martin Jacques says that to understand the rise of China we need three building blocks:

1. It’s not a nation state but a civilisation state which is to say that it is shaped by 2000 years of history. Its culture has unity at it’s core and yet, given it’s internal diversity, different parts are ruled in different ways.

2. The Chinese conception of race is very different. 90% belong to the Han race who have a superiority complex. It’s multiracial only at the margins.

3. The relationship between the state and society in China is different. The Chinese state, despite not being ‘democratic’, enjoys more legitimacy and more authority among it’s people than any western state. The state is considered as a guardian of it’s civilisation state. For 1000 years the state has not been challenged.