Finding Middle Ground

Everyone struggles with perfection. Whether that takes the form of pouring over a project for hours after its completion because it still "doesn't seem good enough" or shying away from new opportunities for fear of failure, all of us place pressure on ourselves that's immeasurably larger than any expectations we reasonably hold of other people. But in a society that puts so much emphasis on perfection and finds such value in the "all or nothing" attitude, the commonality of this mindset shouldn't come as much of a surprise.

As someone victim to the influence of such an overwhelming culture, I have definitely found myself guilty of thinking in extremes more times than I can count. If I've had a particularly busy week, and find myself returning home from a band concert or track meet at 9:00 p.m. with only a fraction of the time I'd normally spend studying available to me to prepare for a morning test, it's easy to convince myself that any shot I had of succeeding is already lost. Maybe I won't have time to finish the entire AP Chem practice test? Well, better just call it a night then because if I can't complete the whole thing, I'm already going to do poorly, so there's no point in trying. 

While this reasoning might appear logical in the moment, reflecting back on it reveals how truly negative harboring an "all or nothing" mentality can be. Of course, it's only natural to want to put forth our best effort into everything we do, but when circumstances don't allow that level of dedication, isn't it better to do a little less rather than nothing at all? 

Perhaps it seems like a stretch, but I feel that a similar mindset has taken root within the movement of political correctness in today's society. With the many "gung-ho advocates of politically correct language" attempting to "prescribe what people should say," it has gotten to the point where it's nearly impossible, especially in the context of the digital world, to say something that won't offend anyone (Kakutani). In their attempt to promote diversity and end discrimination, the "self-appointed language police" have become overbearing, ultimately only damaging others' perception of their movement and silencing discussion about the world's bigger problems (Kakutani). And though I completely support efforts to create a more harmonious world by encouraging respect for all, if our culture is burdened with so much fear of straying from a perfectly politically correct vocabulary that conversation regarding necessary issues is neglected, can we really argue that progress is being made? Maybe rather than assuming all that exists is one extreme or the other, a simple awareness in our attempt to find a middle ground can be enough to move forward in a positive direction.