The Middle Bench Mundane

You might’ve noticed that every classroom has its “protagonists”. There’s the rogues wrapped in defiance, living on their own frequency - the backbenchers, and then there’s the disciples of perfection, chasing the standard- the frontbenchers. But more often than not, we fail to notice the overshadowed middle benchers. The tier nobody makes movies about. The tier that goes unnoticed in almost every class. The tier that never really asks for the spotlight. The tier that just… exists.

But why do people sit there? Fear? Maybe a little. To stay away from the attention? Definitely one of the reasons. But “balance’ is what I think answers this question most accurately. Heading to the back and inviting unnecessary trouble? Not for them. Sitting at the front, being under constant scrutiny? They are definitely not made to live with so much restriction and play by the rules.

These people right here, I’ll tell you about them- they’re not too afraid to take the leap, nor are they too lazy to open a book, but they strive best in the middle ground. They don’t study with an obsessive devotion but neither do they partake in the glorious rebellion that supposedly defines “student life”. They are the masters of the mundane, navigating through their life, as steadily as possible, playing it safe , safe enough to keep them out of trouble. 

They can do a little bit of pretty much everything. They are the sort of people that do occasionally skip class and have fun, but just the right amount of fun that wont land them in the Principal’s office, and the sort of people who will study at their own pace, which sometimes is just enough to top the class. They’re not made for chaos but they’re not consistent either. You might call it a character flaw but I prefer to call it a way of life. 

They are not the kind that stick to one “genre” of life. Ask a backbencher and their stories are all about how they used to embark on adventures, their legendary punishments, risky business, and the carefree yet passionate persona that they embody. Ask a front bencher and you will hear all about their triumphs, gold medals, stellar ranks and their sheer focus and discipline that rules their lives. But ask a middle bencher and you never know what to expect. No dramatic punishments , no historic ranks, not many feats that would make a good story for the books. Their lives are wrapped in quiet simplicity. 

It all comes down to a subtle hesitation. “If i go to the back, i might end up in trouble. If i go to the front, I might get questioned.” Not worth the risk if it disrupts their smooth, uninterrupted life that would be best lived in the middle grounds. Let me tell you that if they didn’t naturally seek this balance, these divisions wouldn’t even exist. Then again, it’s only because these so called “ordinary lives” exist, that we are able to define what an extraordinary life looks like. 

Their ambitions? Realistic. Their decisions? Not driven by emotion but rather by logic. Their dreams? They probably only dream in their sleep. Everything anchored in safety. No loose ends. No what ifs. They live a life where nothing is broken and nothing needs fixing.   

I’ve been speaking in third person but how would I be so familiar if I wasn’t one of them? I know the script by heart because I’ve lived it. I know there was a younger version of me that wanted to capture the world through a lens and paint the world with her words. But when the hour struck to decide, when the realities were laid out in front of me, like most others, I did what I had to do. I stuck to the middle grounds. I stuck to what was safe- studying. It might not be a story worth telling, but it is the reality for most of us.

If you’ve never really sat on the middle bench but you still feel familiar to this, that’s because these “benches” are merely a metaphor. The details might change, the characters might differ but the essence remains.

-Yours, A girl who pretty much spent her whole life on the middle bench.

(of course in the company of her truly amazing friends that have been the highlight of this part of her life.)