Talking the Talk But Not Walking the Walk

We truly have become a society that in many cases talks the talk but does not walk the walk. 

In other words we talk a good game but we really don’t play one.

I say this because in so many cases we hear about striving for excellence when in truth mediocrity at best often rules the day and the reason is simple. We’re not really striving for excellence but just talking the talk.

Look around you and tell me where you see a true focus and commitment on superior performance.  We certainly don’t get it from our elected officials who in many cases have their own agendas and quickly forget about the pledges they made during the campaign season. Let’s be honest. We expect them to lie to us about what they’re going to do but we re-elect most of them.  We’ve lowered the bar on what to expect from them, often don’t hold them accountable and frankly don’t really care because it’s the same old thing time and time again.

Of course there are exceptions and some fabulous public servants but unfortunately they seem to be in the minority these days.

How about education?  Yes there are schools they truly strive for excellence but for every one of them there are a hundred who know that’s not feasible so privately they aim to just do the best they can.  School Boards too often pretend they know about education, administrators try and maintain the course without ruffling feathers and too many teachers don’t really teach while the good ones(and there are many) are frustrated with the entire system.

On top of all of that we have leaders who think education is simply about passing standardized tests instead of teaching young people what they need to be successful and you have parents who simply don’t care and expect the schools to raise their children.

Throw in the fact that in today’s budget-tight environment you have buildings and facilities badly in need of improvement but left in disrepair.

My perception is the acceptance of mediocrity spans all walks of life, including the business community.  Outstanding service stands out because it’s rare when it should be the norm.  Poorly trained and poorly compensated employees seem to be everywhere and you wonder how some of these places stay in business. Many don’t for very long.

In today’s “give every kid a trophy” world maybe the problem is we should not strive for excellence.  How about simply “let’s be adequate."maybe we can make that work.

With another very mediocre Hometown View, I’m Kevin Williams.