L O M E ( লো মি ) is a social term invented by Ashequr Rahman. Social term addresses the social context of human behaviors, arguing that the ways in which we act and our beliefs are generated partly by social structure but also in communication between individuals and in social groups.
Mediocre, used to describe a person, is pejorative as it indicates that someone does not possess any special skills or intellect. Love of mediocrity or L O M E ( লো মি ) is the opposite of fear of mediocrity. The word “mediocre” is derived from the Latin word “mediocris,” which meaning “average” or “common.” It is made up of the words medius, which means “middle or intermediate,” and ocris, which means “mountain or steep rock,” therefore it refers to someone who stays halfway, with the summit of the mountain serving as the final objective.
Nowadays, we live in a very judgmental society. We need to prove ourselves unique in every situation, ranging from family, friends, society to social media. But we miss so many beautiful moments, friendships and damage family relations because of this fear of mediocrity.
In family dawat or meetings, we often forget our blood relations and treat extended family relatives based on their educational and professional success. Intentionally or unintentionally we develop a very toxic environment and damage family bonding. Many SSC students commit suicide on results day due to family pressure. Family is no longer contributing to build strong social norms in children. In fact, families are failing to teach social norms and values to their members. Families are the main structure which creates strong bonding within family members and the society. Extended family members are the key figures of making this relation which build strong society with strong relationship among society members. Families are failing to teach their children about ethics, values, and conventions. A human being without ethical and social norms can create any kind of violence in society. In modern families, a member cannot get the environment of proper socialization. As a result, kinship of family and bonding of society are becoming weaker day by day and also the unethical and unsocial activities like crimes, violence and eve-teasing, etc. are increasing in society. Due to weakening of the bond of love within family members, violence is increasing within families, even killings. L O M E (Love of Mediocrity) can play a vital role for developing bonding in family members, lower crimes and corruptions in society.
In social media, we live in a time where we are bombarded daily with success stories of extraordinary individuals like, a social entrepreneur got selected for Forbes 30 Under 30, a female model just reached 1 million followers or a young entrepreneur just raised 10 million dollars. These are just a few examples of stories that we see on social media. We often represent ourselves as someone we’re not and do stupid things only for getting quick attention and love reacts. Many of us get easily traumatized by like and share drop in our posts. We often see Instagram influencers showing off their car, mansion and successful life. We unconsciously start comparing our lives with those influencers when we browse Instagram. They have instilled in us the belief that if we do not make enough money or have a great body, we will not have a secure existence, and that if we do not have a secure life, we will always be unhappy. Not everyone finds happiness in wealth; some might just feel the happiest when they play with strings of a guitar; some souls might just light up after capturing beautiful moments with their camera; some might feel satiated in serving their signature dish to their customers – the jobs might pay less but they fill their hearts. When we get out of fear of mediocrity we can easily support a recently divorced friend than to congratulate a newly married friend in social media. We can also easily support a friend who starts a new business than congratulate a friend who got a new job and we can improve many social situations when we start loving mediocrity. L O M E can play a big role in changing our mindset and developing effective communication between social media users.
L O M E or Love of Mediocrity is the best way to deal with fear of mediocrity. To accept and enjoy what we are, our flaws, limitations, enjoy our life fully and avoid toxic people in life. Once we start practicing L O M E, we will have a growing appreciation for life’s basic experiences. We will learn to measure ourselves through a new, healthier means: the pleasures of simple friendship, creating something, helping mother in household works, reading a good book, laughing with family relatives. Sounds boring, right? That’s because these things are average. But maybe they’re average for a reason. Because they are what actually matter.
Originally published on www.ashequrrahman.com
