Average

There’s nothing wrong with being average. Without average folks the wheels of Western Civilization would surely shudder to a halt. But somewhere along the way, we in America have been sold the notion that talent doesn’t matter; that intelligence doesn’t matter; that greatness doesn’t matter. That these attributes should in fact be regarded with suspicion, if not outright hostility. We have come to believe that we are all entitled to fame, and that to be just like everyone else is to be something quite special. And the army of pundits, writers, reality-show producers, politicians, and country music songwriters who have sold us this dubious bill of goods are, in many cases, talented people themselves. Do they really need the money that badly?