Special. Everyone wants special. Nobody wants the ordinary, do they? It’s special this, special that. You sit in a restaurant and you order a special dosa because what, this one has better tasting dough in it? I don’t see the point, but whatever makes you sleep at night, right? If that extra twenty bucks is going to make you feel special, by all means, be my guest. But that’s not the point. I’m not here trying to plagiarize the ‘special’ ones, or patronize the ordinary. I just don’t get how being an aberrant in a world of cynics is considered to be normal. I’m sure we’ve all grown up listening to this saying day in and day out ‘Jack of all trades, master of none.’ I’m sure most fathers in India took to their growing children and nurtured an attitude of an infallible anything. A special something. An immaculate everything. Let me, at this point in time, 20 years later, thank my father for not doing that. My father didn’t expect anything of me. He cut the leash loose and let me become what I am. He watched me take step after step with my small feet, smiled and supported me when I needed it. Okay, so getting back on track, it makes me wonder, what could be so wrong about being a Jack of all trades? I mean, why Jack? We’ve seen so many amazing Jacks over the years, haven’t we? Rose’s Jack from Titanic, Jack Black, Jack Sparrow, Jack Reacher (tough luck, Tom), even Jack from Power Rangers SPD, if you will. Anyway, I always find it disturbing that the saying has so much meaning to it. First of all, I don’t get it. Last of all, I don’t care. But what is it about the ordinary that disgusts everyone? What is all this super hyper fuss about being special? Isn’t it okay to be average? I’ve heard a lot of people say that being special at one thing is much better than being average in different things. I don’t blame you for having that sort of mind set, but let me tell you why I think you’re wrong. I’m not criticizing you, just…yeah, criticizing you.
India is a country where you study to become either an engineer, or a doctor, or a Chartered Accountant, or a dark light on the entire family. An engineer, engineers. A doctor, doctors. A chartered accountant, accounts. Let’s look at engineering first. You know I’m one. Yeah, I am biased. Bite me. Final year, and I’m freaking out, naturally. I get to interview for companies now, for a job. So, my friend tells me about his experience at an interview.
“What is your CGPA?” He answers.
“Very good. What are your hobbies?” He talks for at least five minutes.
“Good. What are the designing software you’re familiar with?” He names stuff I’ve never heard of before.
“Do you know computer programming?”
“Sir, I’m a Mechanical Engineer?”
“So, you can’t code because you’re a Mechanical Engineer?”
“With all due respect, I can code, but I’m obviously not as suitable to a coding job as an IT or a CSE student, Sir.”
He didn’t get the job, duh. A company rejected a mechanical engineer because he didn’t know to write code. I mean, he isn’t supposed to, is he? He’s supposed to build the hardware that you code with, isn’t he? And then I realized I needed to practice coding all over again, something I hadn’t done since high school. And I did. I practiced hard. Like really hard. Now I’m pretty sure I have a shot in any upcoming interview. Essentially, if you expect a mechanical engineer to write computer code, aren’t you as a matter of fact, expecting the proverbial Jack of all trades? So this friend of mine I’m talking about, he works at a big MNC now. What does he do? He codes. He’s going to the United States of America next month. To do what? To code. I asked him what purpose his studying Mechanical engineering for four long years served him. He smiled and showed me the big Audi standing by his gate. I nodded in agreement, although my heart ached a little for the dying mechanical engineer in him. It’s not true just for an engineer. For example, an actor isn’t just an actor anymore. He’s expected to be a singer, dancer, comedian, entertainer apart from being just an actor. The same extends to anything you can possibly think of.
Does this mean that there’s a growing demand for Jacks of different trades? I can’t tell for sure, but I know for a fact that being a single minded pony isn’t going to take you far in this evil corporation that is the world. Of course, being the very best in something is to be considered as an exception, but still, why subject yourself to so much pressure to achieve monotony while you can do a lot of things to some extent? I could be completely wrong here, but it’s a piece of my mind that I’m giving you, and I’m going to back myself up. That’s actually exactly what everyone should do. Back yourselves up. No matter how dark the world might seem, there’s always something better to look forward to. Even in the darkest of times, there will always be something to smile about. It’s okay to be average, but make sure you’re average at a number of things. Focus on becoming something you’ve always wanted to become but couldn’t. Okay, so personal story time. I grew up not being much of an artist. I couldn’t draw a straight line with a ruler and a pencil. People asked me to quit trying to paint or sketch. At five years of age, it was all I ever did. Make shabby marks on everything I could see. Eventually, I realized for myself that the “critique” was right. I didn’t quit painting. I started painting words instead of objects and people. Writing to me isn’t just a cluster of letters strung together to make a meaningful story. To me, it’s art. It’s the way I’ve reinvented my definition of art. Always remember, it is never too wrong to do something for yourself no matter what the world around you tells you. I will proudly wear the badge of an artist even though my imagination and hands don’t really adhere together to give me a beautiful picture. I have realized that I have the ability to paint a picture in your head with the words I carve out of my imagination. That to me, is true happiness. The ability to paint into a person’s mind. I thrive on the ability to manipulate a person’s mind to picture what I write. Sounds selfish? Of course it does. Doesn’t mean I have to care, right? As long as I’m not harming anyone in the process. I don’t have to be the best at it, but it makes me happy. And that suffices.
The essence of what I’m trying to tell you is basically that it’s okay to be average. No one was born to excel at something. Being born to do something is meagre propaganda to cast a spotlight on a successful person. If you were born to be quintessential, you’re not human. You keep learning and discovering yourselves from the mistakes you make. Mistakes are indeed, the stepping stones to success. If not success, the average. An average everything is never better than a special something, but if being average in a multitude of things can make you happy, by all means, do whatever you want, however you want to. If you’re physically unfit and you want to dance, by all means, do. If you’re unhappy with something you’re doing, move on to something that makes you happy. Seek happiness, not excellence. Seek inner happiness, not external appreciation. Live your life to the fullest, without regrets. Realize your truth before someone dictates it for you. Remember, it’s okay to be average.
