Outcome Measure
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Outcome Measure
Outcome measures are essential for setting expectations and evaluating success in any human endeavor, including Spirituality and Religion. They are defined as agreed-upon tests of success, similar to how a bridge's success is measured by its ability to provide safe passage and aesthetic appeal.</ref>
Related LP Terms
Non-LP Related Terms
Notes
Importance of Outcome Measures
- Expectations and Success: Outcome measures are crucial because they allow us to set high expectations, which in turn drive the creation of sophisticated and professional spiritual practices. Just as we demand safe and aesthetically pleasing bridges, we should demand clear and beneficial outcomes from our spiritual practices.
- Standards in Spirituality: Unlike bridge building, where the standards are clear and agreed upon (e.g., safe passage, aesthetic appeal), spirituality often lacks universally accepted outcome measures, leading to a wide range of interpretations and practices with varying degrees of authenticity and effectiveness.
Challenges in Defining Spiritual Outcome Measures
- Risk and Fear: Discussing and developing outcome measures in spirituality can be risky due to potential backlash, professional ridicule, or even violence. This fear prevents open and critical discussions about spiritual standards.
- Nomenclature Confusion: There is significant confusion and lack of consistency in defining what constitutes a successful spiritual outcome. Different traditions and individuals offer varying and often contradictory definitions of spiritual success, such as enlightenment, cosmic consciousness, or salvation. This confusion makes it challenging to develop common and accepted standards.
- Anti-standards: Some spiritual traditions use "anti-standards" like Death Tests and Life Tests to avoid setting real-world outcome measures.
- Death Tests: These promise spiritual rewards in the afterlife, making it impossible to evaluate their truth.
- Life Tests: These interpret life's challenges as tests or lessons, diverting attention from the actual efficacy of spiritual practices.
Outcome Measures Identified in RSGAS
In "Rocket Scientists' Guide to Authentic Spirituality," several outcome measures for spirituality are proposed:
- Connection: Authentic spirituality should facilitate a connection experience, where individuals feel a profound connection to a greater whole, often described as cosmic consciousness, universal oneness, or a divine presence.
- Healing: An effective spiritual practice should contribute to the healing of psychological, emotional, and even physical wounds.
- Empowerment: Spirituality should empower individuals, providing them with a sense of control and agency over their lives and decisions.
- Awareness and Clarity: A successful spiritual path should lead to increased self-awareness and clarity, helping individuals understand themselves and their place in the world better.
- Compassion and Empathy: Authentic spirituality should enhance compassion and empathy towards others, fostering a sense of interconnectedness and community.
- Peace and Contentment: One of the key measures of successful spirituality is the attainment of inner peace and contentment, even amidst external challenges.
Conclusion
To develop authentic spiritual standards and outcome measures, it is necessary to move beyond childhood indoctrination and the acceptance of anti-standards. By setting clear and agreed-upon expectations, spirituality can be evaluated with the same rigor as other human endeavors, leading to the development of authentic and meaningful spiritual experiences.
Additional Notes
You can apply outcome measures to any human endeavour from sex to spirituality. If the chocolate cake you baked is light and fluffy and everybody gobbles it up, then you have a successful outcome. In this case taste, texture, and acceptance by others are the outcome measures of cake baking.
If Spirituality is the issue, then spirituality is authentic if it provides Healing and Connection.[1]
Maslow notes the importance of healing when he says that judging the authenticity of a peak experience requires "a follow-up of the individual" to see if the peak experiences led to stable change. [2]
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