Breakdancing was featured as a sport for the first time in the Paris Olympics 2024, and Dr. Rachel Gunn was sent as Australia’s best bet to win gold in this event. Unfortunately, Raygun, Dr. Gunn’s moniker, went viral for her 0-point spastic battles in the Paris Olympics—mocked and parodied, a meme today. The Australian Olympic Committee received so much flack about their selection process, questioning how Raygun beat other possibilities.
It’s interesting to note the continuing rise of mediocrity in all areas of life. Here are everyday scenarios to prove this disheartening news: One high school Spanish teacher in a largely Hispanic community decided that all assignments would be done in class. When asked why, she responded, “The students don’t even make any effort when they leave the classroom. So, what’s the point?” A mother drives her adult son when he applies for a job as he needs help filling in the form. Apparently, he can barely read. Another was desperate for help in finding a temporary shelter but refused to take the phone number to make a call.
When the pandemic hit, we saw people make changes in the way they lived. Realizing that life is precious, and time is fleeting, many decided to resign from their jobs to pursue a more laid-back and simplistic lifestyle, choosing to be around their families, perhaps picking up a lucrative hobby or two to bring more fulfillment and a fill-in-the-gap income.
Some who stayed in their jobs and went back to their offices started to quietly quit, resentful about being stuck within the four office walls. They are coasting until the boss comes around; then, the keyboard starts clacking or the phone is hastily picked up for a pretend transaction.
Self-care, emotional support, and therapy cards are on most people’s lists as mental health issues are taking over our lives. Special accommodation is provided not only for people with actual disabilities but also for underserving individuals, allowing many to get away with services and making way for lower standards. Equity, diversity, and inclusion are at the forefront of all industries, edging out worthy individuals to prevent accusations of discrimination and making room for supposedly much-needed socio-cultural reforms that are already in place.
The Bible speaks of work from the beginning of time. God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground” (Genesis 1:26). This paradise was man’s little kingdom to run, a big responsibility that required both wisdom and physical effort. This was stressed again in verse 28, with the words subdue and rule as a clear emphasis on the job to be done.
Man’s next assignment in the garden was to name each living creature. As God formed them out of the ground, “He brought them to the man to see what he would name them…So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals” (2:19-20). It may seem mundane, but we are talking of creativity to the nth degree. These creatures are coming to life for the first time—and man had never seen such.
And when man fell, God said, “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life… By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food…” (3:17, 19). The next scene takes us to Abel, described as a shepherd, and Cain as the farmer (4:2). Both worked in different capacities.
There are many cities with problems of vagrancy and homelessness. We see aimless and lost beings walking the streets, lying on the wayside. In the past, these people would just be down on their luck with jobs. But the alarming increase today includes those battling substance abuse and mental health issues, making it almost impossible for them to rise above it. And for whatever reason a person lives on the streets, the longer he remains that way, the more his normal behavior deteriorates. He will have a decreased capacity to wrap his mind around finding a job for a steady income flow to support his daily needs.
Proverbs 14:23 reminds us that “all hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” One can dream of finding a job, envisioning the rise in the corporate ladder and growing a bank account from a steady paycheck. But unless that work materializes and one is getting out of bed each day to work, there is no income to boast of, no material wealth to gain.
In fact, the Bible shames a sluggard, the lazy, good-for-nothing person: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its way and be wise! It has no commander or ruler, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest” (Proverbs 6:6-8). Can you imagine that tiny insect is more respected for its hard work than someone who was created in God’s image but chooses to be a loafer and a bum in life? That ant is the picture of a hard worker to be emulated by man for his preparation today and tomorrow.
“How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man” (Proverbs 6:9-11). It’s not a sin to rest our weary bodies from the eight or so hours of work we put in. But we can’t stay in bed to get up when we want to, only to rise at who-knows-what-hour with nothing to do except rest some more or laze about on the couch.
When we were in lockdown for almost two years, we all enjoyed the luxury of a staycation. We wore pajama bottoms and sweatpants to do our virtual meetings, not even worried if we missed brushing our teeth or taking a quick shower. Our kids did the same, went to virtual schools but with even less focus on their studies due to their young minds and inexperience in real work. There really was no incentive for both adults and children to excel, almost as if those two years should not count toward anything and just be considered a loss.
The problem is that those two pandemic years did a great number on our psychological well-being, coupled with our sinful, slothful nature. The hard work we were used to faded into oblivion and became a forgotten component of our activities. Homework is too much. An exam is overwhelming. A new work project with a deadline causes stress. Lifting something over 15 pounds requires too much effort. Everything seems like a threat to our well-being. What we want is for someone to lower the standards and expectations to get a little out of us. Then, we will perform…barely.
Psalm 128:2 says, “You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.” Raygun ate the fruit of her labor with her famous score of 0. She may be a household name now, but she will go down in history as the Olympic breakdance laughingstock. It doesn’t matter if people claim that she planned to go viral this way. If she did, she wouldn’t need anyone defending her with official release statements.
Are you a student who hates homework now and would prefer to make no attempt at submitting any? Well, don’t be surprised when you get to higher education, schoolwork gets even harder, and you don’t pass your class. Or to be asked to take an exam and prepare an essay for a job application, and you fail to land the job.
Are you a parent tolerating your child’s lazy behavior? Good luck to your child’s future! You are raising a mediocre human being who will be paralyzed by a hopeless future. Don’t expect any pursuit of greatness and a desire for lasting joy and satisfaction.
Who will be guaranteed mediocrity? Only those who desire to be successful who put in little effort!
Photo Credit: ©SparrowStock
Luisa Collopy is an author, speaker and a women’s Bible study teacher. She also produces Mula sa Puso (From the Heart) in Tagalog (her heart language), released on FEBC Philippines stations. Luisa loves spending time with her family over meals and karaoke!