The Curse of Measurement

Dictionary says the following:Measurement - A standard of dimension; a fixed unit of quantity or extent; an extent or quantity in the fractions or multiples of which anything is estimated and stated; hence, a rule by which anything is adjusted or judged.

Why do we have to measure things? Reference, simplification, Continuous improvement, Obsession with the concept itself, maybe. This evaluation, examination system, results and the ensuing ecstasy or agony have all made me wonder how much we have been infected by this syndrome. I find measurement to be an intriguing exercise though most of the time measurement is a simple activity made to make our lives better.

The background as to why I had to focus on this word 'Measurement' though stems from the headline making historic moment of Roger Federer lifting the French Open title last week to complete a Grand Slam, making media and almost all citizens of Mother Earth call him as the Greatest of All Time (GOAT, what a weird acronym). Federer joins the likes of Perry, Laver, Agassi in the elite club of Grand Slam winners. All had won it under different conditions. When Laver played, there was not three different surfaces. He won two in junior level, If I got them right. Fred Perry played in an era when full trousers on court were the in-thing and computers still occupied a full godown.When Laver had played, the technique of racquets was not as advanced as it is today. Someone like Agassi had a second life in 1998. His looks, attitude everything underwent a change before and after this period. The kind of video technology available wherein you can watch the movements of an opponent from all angles closely before facing him on court was definitely not as great in Agassi's time as it is now.More importantly, our life span will not cover all time for us to make a statement like GOAT. In the last 15 years or so, in any sport, the kind of dominance Federer has shown (20 successive Grand Slam semis) can only at best be matched by Michael Schumacher's ruthlessness in blazing circuits worldwide. This time period, where people like me have grown up, watching Sachins take over from Kapils, Samprases take over from Edbergs, Ronaldos take over from Romarios, Woods taking over form Nicklauses, I don't believe anyone else has displayed this level of consistency. So, I can only compare in this time and say he is the best I've seen.

This drives me back to the question of measurement. Can someone devise a mechanism to quantitatively 'judge' who indeed is the Greatest of All?What purpose does it serve other than satisfying someone's obsession with #1, inflating someone's ego?I feel all these claims are born out of Euphoria and have no logical footing.
I have a feeling that this concept of ranks were designed, one for simplification and two for an objective and fair evaluation aiding in continuous improvement. I feel that this purpose is not being met. I'm taking off on a tangent now far away from Federer and away from objective assessment as to what is happening due to too much emphasis on ranks and outcome.

I am a standard racehorse having been through the gruelling Education system till Post Graduation in India (whoever said tough getting admits abroad need not look CAT for the toughest examination in terms of odds of conversion[1:400]) would like to start with my HR professor's take on grade system. You pick the creamiest of cream from the 3000 who pass JEE. Over a lakh students write JEE while only 3000 odd get eligible for final admission into various IITs. You conduct 3 or 4 tests for one subject and segregate students into A,B,C. What's the point? Aren't they good enough if they have come through these acid tests? Aren't they supposed to be at same level? Can't you bring them all to the same level through some practical experiences like projects and team work exercises? This professor of mine, was quite passionate. Maybe it has rubbed off on me. But, having been through this ring of fire aka grading system since time immemorial, I'm tired of this rat race where to even be in the place as you are you have to keep running and your learning quotient is zilch since your focus is on keeping your territory intact. For instance, I have two final exams the next day, am lazy/ time constrained/whatever and have to choose between say Microeconomics wherein I've good interest but my marks so far aren't that good and despite my best efforts, I may only get a 'B'. The other course, where I know nothing (corporate finance fits in right), but somehow am in a good position because I managed to get some step marks miraculously due to some crazy partial marks scheme of my professor. I know how to get marks in corporate finance but not corporate finance itself. I love Microeconomics but in the heat of the moment in exam hall, I pick some wrong option and get my results screwed up. Where will I decide to put in my precious commodity, time? Obviously, it would be in the corporate finance which would add an extra 0.33 to my overall grade vis-a-vis Micro-Economics. Any rational thinking brain would go for this alternative. So is this what our education system has managed to give to us? Why can't someone excel in something he feels he is good at? We have lakhs of engineers, many of whom chose to be BE ;)due to the follow-the-herd mentality. Employability numbers of engineers in our country is pathetic though. Is this what our education system wants, An imbalanced portfolio of degrees?Having seen 4 suicides in my two years in the nation's #1 engineering institution, it only makes me wonder, does our education system deserve so much attention? News of kids committing suicide after disappointing results in 12th is not new. Education is only meant to expand our horizon, not let us press the self destructing button. such students, their parents are definitely at fault for trying to equate their wards to a guindy racehorse. But, the system is at fault too. Once upon a time, we used to be the drivers of innovation, Ramanuja, Aryabhatta, civilization flourished here when other developed nations of today had no street lights. However, the best Indian minds of today prefer to go to those foreign lands because it gives them the freedom, power, triggers their imagination and helps them do what they want.Maybe recession has managed to bring them back to their homeland. Any form of evaluation should ultimately enable all students come to the same level and using this stick policy of exams won't help the cause. It stifles creativity and makes us machinistic.

The issue of correcting the individual obsession with measurement is hard to achieve. However, reforms in the education system will be a start for that. Vocational training, projects, team building exercise, sound language skills, Indian and Foreign, these are what will help these kids when they grow up do the job effectively, not James Clark Maxwell and when he invented magnetic field, er whatever. :)

As to the question of whether Fed is GOAT, the statements should be pardoned off as made in Euphoria as any record stands to be broken sometime in future. All bit by the measurement bug or analytical thinkers, kindly switch off your brains to accept such overwhelming statements or try and come up with a scale to help decide who indeed is the best. As for me, I only pray Fed makes some record which will stand till my lifetime atleast. ;)