the.com/mediocrity
The art of being just good enough to avoid a conversation about it.
means The state of being average or so-so — neither skilled enough to impress nor bad enough to get fired.
from From Latin mediocris, 'of middle height, ordinary' — itself built from medius ('middle') and the root seen in ocris, an old word for a rugged mountain. So literally, 'halfway up the mountain' — not at the peak, not at the bottom, just stalled somewhere in the middle.
- etymology
- latin mediocris means halfway up a mountain
- peter principle
- people rise until promoted to their incompetence
- survivorship bias
- consistent average often beats volatile brilliance long-term
- social safety
- standing out invites scrutiny; blending in invites nothing