One of the great things about mid-life is that you've finally hit that average point in your life span, when the last 40 years and maybe the next 30 years of your existence kind of evens out.
It gives you that perfect space in life to settle down without any crutches, look back and front with no neck cramps, and mostly, contemplate deeply without getting lost in your thoughts and getting stuck in 'seniledom', and do the one act you've always wanted to do but denied the most - freely comment on the world at large with a minimum 50% accuracy, give or take few well-intentioned, but completely misguided advices (yeah, we've all been there, bungled that).
So, on that lousy, rotten statistical note, let's start rating you now.
Have you always felt how much our lives are constantly observed, evaluated and left hanging on random scales?
Looks like it's become compulsory need that whatever we're doing now or done in the past has to be measured on an arbitrary meter and the results shoved down our throats, even if we don't want them? Some, we surely need to make us more conscious and productive, some of them am not so sure worth bothering about.
For starters, we don't spare even new born babies, who embark their first journey into the world, grimly peeked, poked and duly noted down in an Apgar scale score. Then, starts the developmental milestones, weight and height measured in a percentile score, even before the kiddos reaches kindergarten, we have determined their IQs, personalities classified as extrovert or introvert, aggressive or passive, bright or average etc.
Looks like it's become compulsory need that whatever we're doing now or done in the past has to be measured on an arbitrary meter and the results shoved down our throats, even if we don't want them? Some, we surely need to make us more conscious and productive, some of them am not so sure worth bothering about.
For starters, we don't spare even new born babies, who embark their first journey into the world, grimly peeked, poked and duly noted down in an Apgar scale score. Then, starts the developmental milestones, weight and height measured in a percentile score, even before the kiddos reaches kindergarten, we have determined their IQs, personalities classified as extrovert or introvert, aggressive or passive, bright or average etc.
School is another story.
Here is where we peak as neurotic parents, teachers or caregivers and get all worried, obsessed and hyperventilate over marks, grades, SAT scores and of course, colleges ranked in prestigious order.
Well, questioning if our child is doing well or not relative to his/her peers is a great thing, but, constantly comparing and evaluating - nah, not so healthy.
Especially, if we're forgetting what genes they're forced to inherit. Those who've not been whiz kids themselves can kindly put those hands down, and go check the reality mirror. "What you see" is really, painfully "what you get" here - most of the times.
Personal body and health are the perfect dream of any statistician. Vitals, BMI's, Blood pressure, MRI's, Sugar levels, every tiny microscopic cells in the body can be measured in detail and analyzed to the core.
How about ratings/performance indexes at work? Self-assessments, personality tests that you've to subject yourself all your corporate life?
At home too, it never stops. We see our TV shows based on Nielsen ratings (or TRP's), read only books that make it to the Top Ten or articles that make it to peer-reviewed journals, buy only products rated by other consumers, select schools by their relative scores.
Or, even go to vacation destinations based on hotel, airline ratings. We buy houses, cars based on what our counterparts are buying. Goes on and on.
Why in the world we act on this huge leap of faith, assuming that a bunch of equally capable peers can give expert opinion on subjects which by the way, may be new to them too in the first place - beats the daylights out of me.
Whatever happened to the adventurous spirit, going on unknown quests or embarking on new territories? Is there anyone ready to be the pioneer? Hmm...no answers, but it's something to think about.
At home too, it never stops. We see our TV shows based on Nielsen ratings (or TRP's), read only books that make it to the Top Ten or articles that make it to peer-reviewed journals, buy only products rated by other consumers, select schools by their relative scores.
Or, even go to vacation destinations based on hotel, airline ratings. We buy houses, cars based on what our counterparts are buying. Goes on and on.
Why in the world we act on this huge leap of faith, assuming that a bunch of equally capable peers can give expert opinion on subjects which by the way, may be new to them too in the first place - beats the daylights out of me.
Whatever happened to the adventurous spirit, going on unknown quests or embarking on new territories? Is there anyone ready to be the pioneer? Hmm...no answers, but it's something to think about.
Still skeptical?
For those naysayers, I bet when you come to this last line, most of you would've mentally rated my writing into a scale of 1-10 and assigned a number to it.
Rest my case.
For those naysayers, I bet when you come to this last line, most of you would've mentally rated my writing into a scale of 1-10 and assigned a number to it.
Rest my case.