Overthrowing Tyrannical Metrics

Are metrics your master, or your servant?

Too much of our life is spent in the pursuit of numeric validation: 

• The number on the scale

• The amount of weight lifted

• The number of dollars in the bank 

• The size of the salary

The benefit of metrics like these is their ability to communicate with simplicity and clarity. Lost weight or more savings are certainly relevant indicators - they can point to something significant like improved health or greater financial freedom. However, the pervasive use of metrics keeps our attention focused on the pointing finger - instead of on the deeper truth that it’s pointing toward.  Depending on the context, weight loss can indicate greater health - or parasites or disease. Similarly, increased savings can indicate financial freedom - or increased fear. Tracking our progress toward significant and underlying goals like physical health or financial freedom requires more than numbers - it requires thoughtful attention to context and nuance.  

The way we use metrics - the level of authority we give them - can make them either helpful servants or tyrannical masters. The simplicity and clarity they provide can be useful, but tips toward tyranny if we don’t ask deeper questions about what they are indicating. COVID disrupted many aspects of life, and my hope is that as we take tentative steps forward, we’ll track our progress with thoughtful nuance, not just simple metrics.