#Title

Being average is

PERFECTLY FINE
ILLUSTRATION:
FAISAL BIN IQBAL
ZABIN TAZRIN NASHITA
Nowadays, the word “average” is only wanted if it’s in mathematics. For individuals, being average is considered synonymous with being unremarkable, giving the word a bad rap.
As children, we’re taught that no matter what we do, we should strive to excel at it. It’s a great teaching, undoubtedly, as it instils ambition within us. It’s our ambition that tells us to dream big, aim for the moon, and actually reach it.
But a reality we’re often not prepared for is that sometimes, we may fall short of the mark. Sifting through biographies of extraordinarily talented people doesn’t really prepare us for how difficult the journey to greatness really is. The idea of becoming an astronaut is glamorous as a child, but learning all the physics along the way can be gruelling, especially if you don’t have an exceptional aptitude for it.
The basics come easy to many earlier on, helping them stand out from the crowd fuelling their ambitions. As the going gets tougher, they find that their peers have not only caught on, but they might have even outrun them by miles. Whether it’s gifted kid burnout syndrome or the big-fish-little-pond effect makes little difference at this point.
The fact of the matter is, the much-dreaded word “average” becomes a reality many of us have to accept here. We’re ill-equipped to swallow such a bitter pill – the realisation that maybe Hogwarts is real, we just didn’t get the acceptance letter.
Despite it being completely out of our hands, being average-looking is also often seen as undesirable. We think that looking average makes us unnoticeable, and maybe even less likely to be successful when it comes to romance. A person who doesn’t entirely fit into the conventional beauty standards may not be immediately perceived as extremely attractive to everyone. But it doesn’t negate the fact that these standards are nothing but a social construct, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Someone’s style, confidence, humour, or other traits are what draws us to them most of the time.
Truth be told, being average is not the curse we think it is. Data tends to gather around the central value anyway, which means that most people are actually average. Let’s take the idealised scenario that you’re average at everything. The upside? You’re not particularly bad, you’re about as good as most people at literally everything.
Maybe you find out you’re average at the thing you desperately want to pursue. Well, you may not be the best in your field, but it doesn’t mean your life is over. You can reach your goal with some effort, and enjoy doing something you always wanted. An average person can also strive for excellence, even if they have to work harder at it than the gifted ones.
So, if you’re someone who’s struggling with accepting your averageness, I hear you and you’re definitely not alone. If the earlier words didn’t help you, remember that the average side characters rarely get saddled with the dangerous task of saving the world from near-invincible villains, and can have fun in the wholesome filler episodes instead. And they’re just as beloved to us as the main characters for their unique quirks and lovable personalities.
Find Zabin at zabintn@gmail.com
A person who doesn’t entirely fit into the conventional beauty standards may not be immediately perceived as extremely attractive to everyone. But it doesn’t negate the fact that these standards are nothing but a social construct, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Someone’s style, confidence, humour, or other traits are what draws us to them most of the time.