I wonder: is this is a biological thing, caused by our evolutionary path, or is it just hundreds of years of culture gaslighting us into thinking we’re individually and collectively special by a non-zero amount?
Championing mediocrity has gotten me the most complaints, protests, and attempts to bargain of any topic I’ve written on. Including being slightly evil, slightly monstrous, and sociopathic. People will entertain being slightly evil or slightly monstrous before they’ll entertain the idea of being even slightly mediocre.