![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/766\/2021\/02\/Mediocrates-276x300.jpg\")
The next time I teach ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, I will include a figure that I only became aware of a few years ago:\u00a0Mediocrates<\/strong>.\u00a0Mediocrates, who lived around 450-370ish BCE, was the (much) younger sibling of his slightly more famous brother, Socrates. Like Socrates, everything we know about Mediocrates comes through the testimony of those who knew and appreciated him (or didn\u2019t)\u2014if he ever wrote anything down, we don\u2019t have it.<\/p>\nIt is reported that many of Socrates\u2019 followers expected Mediocrates to step into his older brother\u2019s role as the \u201cgadfly of Athens\u201d after Socrates\u2019 execution, but Mediocrates\u2019 famous comment about following in Socrates\u2019 footsteps was \u201cYeah, that ain\u2019t happening.\u201d Concerning the numerous dialogues that Socrates\u2019 most famous disciple, Plato, wrote with Socrates as the main character, Mediocrates commented \u201cYeah, that sounds like my brother. Sort of. But not really. We didn\u2019t hang out that much. He was a bit of a dick.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mediocrates apparently was a master of one-liners, many of which have somehow over the centuries made it into common parlance.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Don\u2019t sweat the small stuff<\/strong>. As with many of the sayings attributed to Mediocrates, the reaction of his contemporaries was \u201cWhat the hell does that mean?\u201d But as a directive to pay attention to what\u2019s most important rather than wasting time on less important matters, it isn\u2019t that bad.<\/li>\n
- It is what it is<\/strong>. I\u2019m sure that in his day, everyone thought that this classic from Mediocrates was just stupid. But somehow, it has become a profound reflection on the human inability to change reality. It is one of my very wise wife Jeanne\u2019s \u201cgo to\u201d comments on just about everything. Thank Mediocrates for the insight that, strangely enough, we are not in charge of things.<\/li>\n
- It isn\u2019t over \u2018til it\u2019s over. <\/strong>The best response might be something like \u201cNo kidding, Captain Obvious.\u201d But i<\/strong>f you think about it, most of what Mediocrates said is true. No one ever said that the truth would be profound. Or interesting. It is what it is.<\/li>\n
- Whatever<\/strong>. Rumor has it that this is the word carved on Mediocrates\u2019 tombstone (which has never been found). According to a continuing Marist poll, \u201cWhatever\u201d has been voted as \u201cthe most annoying word of the year\u201d annually for the past decade. That wouldn\u2019t have been my choice, but whatever.<\/li>\n
- When the going gets tough, the tough get going. <\/strong>This is actually just a portion of the full statement, which says that \u201cWhen the going gets tough, the tough get going, while everyone else goes home and says that they hadn\u2019t wanted to go anywhere in the first place.\u201d<\/li>\n
- No one ever said it would be easy<\/strong>. My father once told my brother and me that the following would be carved on our tombstones: \u201cThey said it couldn\u2019t be done, and he tried and couldn\u2019t do it.\u201d That\u2019s a very Mediocratesian sentiment. The reason why no one ever said it would be easy is because it isn\u2019t. Deal with it.<\/li>\n
- Let me be perfectly clear<\/strong>. There\u2019s nothing wrong with wanting to be clear, and Mediocrates undoubtedly was opaque on occasion. But this saying has become an annoying earworm of gigantic proportions. One cannot get through an hour of any 24-7 news channel show without more than one talking head introducing her or his profound conclusion to the discussion by saying \u201clet me be perfectly clear.\u201d As opposed to what? \u201cLet me obfuscate and confuse the situation even more\u201d?<\/li>\n
- At the end of the day . . . <\/strong>When listening to NPR in the car the other day, three consecutive reporters, pontificating about different pressing social\/political issues, summarized thier insights with this gem. I have no idea why this has become the go-to summary statement for virtually everying, particularly since at the end of the day I usually just watch some television and go to bed.<\/li>\n
- No pain, no gain<\/strong>. You might have noticed from the picture of Mediocrates that he spent a lot of time at the gym. By the way, the word \u201cGymnasium\u201d means \u201cto exercise naked.\u201d No clothes allowed at the gym. Mediocrates also was a big sports fan (athletes also competed in the nude. Get that visual out of your head now). Many of Mediocrates\u2019 comments about sports competition have made their way down into the lexicon of contemporary sports announcers.\n
- \n
- They came to play<\/strong>. I\u2019ve always thought it odd that athletes would come a sporting event for any reason other than to play, but apparently in ancient Greece some athletes just showed up and stood around doing nothing (completely naked). Those who \u201ccame to play\u201d tended to win more often than those who just stood around.<\/li>\n
- One game at a time<\/strong>. Another apparent \u201cThanks Captain Obivious\u201d observation. This sports platitude apparently developed to deter coaches and teams from trying to play game #18 on their schedule before game #11 or, worse, trying to play games #11 and #18 at the same time.\u00a0 It\u2019s the platitude that always shows up when someone forgets that games have to be played in the order that they are scheduled. Or something like that.<\/li>\n
- They took it to the next level<\/strong>. This observation only works for those who have a higher level to take it to. Those who have only one level usually lose and are henceforth known as mediocrities.<\/li>\n
- I\u2019ll tell you what. <\/strong>I\u2019d love to be able to explain what this meant in Mediocrates\u2019 day, what it means today, or why it has infected contemporary sports conversation and beyond. I have no idea. I\u2019ll tell you what\u2014your guess is as good as mine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Given his commitment to mediocrity, it\u2019s surprising that Mediocrates and his wisdom have had such an impact on contemporary culture. In the Urban Dictionary, a \u201cMediocrates\u201d is defined as \u201ca person of average or below-average intelligence or skill who claims to be an expert.\u201d And we all know people like that\u2014social media would not exist without them.<\/p>\n
Speaking of which, Mediocrates used to be on (the former) Twitter (@themediocrates1), providing gems such as \u201cLife is a journey,\u201d \u201cBe yourself,\u201d \u201cListen to your heart,\u201d and \u201cNever play leapfrog with a unicorn.\u201d There have been no Meidocrates tweets since 2018, so apparently the person channeling Mediocrates has lost interest. As Mediocrates himself famously said, \u201cthat\u2019s about par for the course.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saint Bridget, the patron saint of Sweden, is described by \u201cCatholic Online\u201d as \u201cthe patroness of failures.\u201d Without a doubt, Mediocrates is the patron saint of mediocrities, which probably makes him the most widely applicable saint in the pantheon of sainthood. The next time you dismiss an annoying conversation or detail with a well-placed \u201cwhatever,\u201d thank Mediocrates. He\u2019s got your back.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I haven\u2019t had a chance to teach the ancient greats in philosophy in several semesters, largely because I haven\u2019t been teaching in the freshman semesters of the large interdisiplinary program I regularly participate in. I\u2019ve mostly been working in sophomore sections of that program, which means the late 18th century to t0day. The next time […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2938,"featured_media":23485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,40,45,48,50],"tags":[215,242,512,269,271],"class_list":["post-33746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ethics","category-god","category-history","category-human-nature","category-humor","tag-ethics","tag-god","tag-history","tag-human-nature","tag-humor"],"yoast_head":"\n
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Another apparent \u201cThanks Captain Obivious\u201d observation. This sports platitude apparently developed to deter coaches and teams from trying to play game #18 on their schedule before game #11 or, worse, trying to play games #11 and #18 at the same time.\u00a0 It\u2019s the platitude that always shows up when someone forgets that games have to be played in the order that they are scheduled. Or something like that.<\/li>\n
- It is what it is<\/strong>. I\u2019m sure that in his day, everyone thought that this classic from Mediocrates was just stupid. But somehow, it has become a profound reflection on the human inability to change reality. It is one of my very wise wife Jeanne\u2019s \u201cgo to\u201d comments on just about everything. Thank Mediocrates for the insight that, strangely enough, we are not in charge of things.<\/li>\n