In the film Amadeus, the Emperor, searching for a criticism of Mozart’s latest piece, says that there are too many notes. The exchange goes as follows:
EMPEROR: Exactly. Very well put. Too many notes.
MOZART: I don't understand. There are just as many notes, Majesty, as are required. Neither more nor less.
EMPEROR: My dear fellow, there are in fact only so many notes the ear can hear in the course of an evening. I think I'm right in saying that, aren't I, Court Composer?
SALIERI: Yes! yes! er, on the whole, yes, Majesty.
MOZART: But this is absurd!
EMPEROR: My dear, young man, don't take it too hard. Your work is ingenious. It's quality work. And there are simply too many notes, that's all. Cut a few and it will be perfect.
It is clear that this is an invalid critique. The emperor is, first and foremost, unnecessarily looking to prescribe an area of “improvement” or growth where there may actually not be one. Secondly, it is using an ill-suited metric as a benchmark for success or failure. The number of notes has nothing to do with whether or not a piece of music is "good" or moving.
In our daily lives, we perform this sort of measurement constantly, and it has been approved by society, making it seem like the right thing to do. We weigh ourselves and keep track of the number on the scale. We check our bank balances and likely feel more satisfied when the number is on the higher end of its range. We may feel like we have more of a mastery of dating if we have accrued more matches on an app..
At face value, these seem like good metrics, but they ignore the qualitative side. Weight gain can be accompanied by an increase in muscle. Not eating enough can lead to weight loss at a detriment to health and energy. Spending money on a flight home to visit family can bring great joy and a needed reset, even if it temporarily lowers the bank balance. And lastly, having 100 matches on an app means nothing if no conversations have resulted.
It would be much easier if we could analyze the quality of our lives based simply on numbers. They are emotionless, clear, and logical, but they are, by nature, quantitative. To truly determine quality of life requires checking the qualitative measures of happiness and fulfillment.