Quality vs Quantity

What brought about the topic of discussion?

The debate of quality vs quantity had banged around in my head a few months ago. During that stage of my life, even though I eagerly wished to write about it, I couldn't find the right medium just then. Starting a blog of my own at the time seemed stressful and an unattractive prospect and hence procastinating seemed easier.

The Spark

What reopened this conversation in my mind once more was a movie trailer. Yesterday, once I was relaxed and satisfied after finishing my post, I spent the rest of my time watching Simpsons and unworrying; a state of mind I'd like to make home permanently; when I encountered a trailer for 'Bhool Bhulaiya 2'. The news of the sequel hitting cinema soon had already reached me once through gossip websites. It had been rehashed again by watching this trailer. 

I did not watch any more than 10 seconds of the trailer. Being a sensitive person, horror movies affect me as much as the makers intend them to, but it did set me on the path of thinking about its prequel and how much of a success the psychologically thrilling-horror comedy movie had been. Coincidently, a few days ago, I tried watching the first movie in broad daylight but the suspense was too much to bear and I had to stop it early on.

A well-known fact

Having heard the story several times and knowing the synopsis in detail, I can accept that the movie had been well-executed; especially for its time. The patient suffering from DID (Disassociative Identity Disorder); largely viewed as possessed by the Indian audience was a narration well done. Much like others, I too have noticed the recent trend in Bollywood and consequently can't help but notice how often movies and even songs; as a well-known fact; have been rehashed and re-made, often, unfortunately, quite terribly. The most recent movie; in regards to mental health 'Atrangi Re' (not a sequel) was a disaster of a movie that was void of all the well-deserving backlash. Of course, this shouldn't be any surprise considering the state and stigma surrounding mental health in India, but the problem goes well beyond superifical problems to pin point on and is regrettably not the point of discussion today.

Can quality trump quantity?

Cycling back to the topic of discussion, terrible moves in the cinema industry or even in other areas could be avoided; if and only if; things could be given the time they needed. I understand that this has been well-said by different people many times, but I feel there is a need to say it again. Let quality trump quantity. Ironically enough though, this opinion that has been shared widely over social media due to its acceptance is all while underlying on an opposite belief system. 

You see, the opinion that is implied by the outer world and its system is that before an individual can be recognised as fitting candidate of something; they need to do it over and over. While there is some truth to the idea of repeated practice improving one's deliverance; the idea that is implicitly sent our way and ultimately becomes stuck in our head is that you cannot be good if you are at the start of your journey, and hence by extension are not worthy of rewards in the beginning as a good enough individual always should be. The harsh but important truth that goes against this widespread systemic belief is that you can be extremely worthy and good enough even at the start of your journey and need not wait till the end of the line to consider yourself so. As a real-life example to support my idea of how widespread this systemic belief is; think of what employers think of entry-level workers in the job market. Alternatively, how algorithms are designed to only reward you after you have completed the set of goals someone else reserved for you; which if you think about it; is largely based on this systemic belief. The irony of this situation is that even this blog, consisting of the idea that 'quality should trump quantity; a small attributor to the large conversation consisting of several such small discussions of such types is that the internet will only start recommending it to people after I have written for several months and 'proved' myself to the algorithm.

I do hope however that my writing has been powerful enough to show people the truth and bear this brazen truth in light. I hope it also gives the necessary resilience and courage to anyone who needs it to rise above for once and all. At the very least, I hope the systemic belief is broken internally before we collectively move towards an effort to break it externally as well.