Wednesday, February 22, 2012

I had an interesting thought pop into my head yesterday while driving.  It intrigued me enough that I thought it warranted being blogged about.  Here was the thought: simple is always complex.

At first glance, this seems an oxymoron.  But scrutinize it a bit further and one discovers the irony of how the two beautifully contrast yet harmonize with one another.  Here’s what I mean.

We don’t live in a simple world.  As such, when we attempt to slow things down to grasp hold of simpler notions, pleasures and actions, though our intent is to simplify things, that very act can tend to complicate matters.  Picture a person who’s always on the go.  Now imagine that person trying to sit still for an hour or even half an hour, doing nothing.  The person, accustomed to functioning at an accelerated pace, begins to twitch.  Their foot or leg may begin to tap rapidly, or their hands may begin to wring themselves together, a futile calming effort that only further stimulates them into feeling more out of their element.

And what about when one makes a conscious decision to go the simpler route in a specific situation.  It’s not always easy to pull that off.  Ask anyone who’s ever had their GPS turn off at just the wrong moment, or had their computer crash, taking with it all their hard work, or a person who wanted to pick up one simple thing from the store only to discover that not a single store carried the item in stock.

Think about the person who wants to live a more simplistic life, whether that translates into being a hippie, naturalist, over-the-top-save-the-the-Earth type, or those who want to try to live without technology “oppressively bogging them down.”  None of these scenarios are an automatic.  Each takes an inordinate amount of time, energy and conscious effort to pull off in a world that centers itself on bigger, badder and more advanced technological devices as well as the philosophy that more is better.

In nature, opposites are required to maintain balance. So too is the case with simplicity and complexity.  One is needed, whether we want it or not, to maintain the balance of the other.  This doesn’t mean that one can’t be successful in their quest to be, act or enjoy more simplistic activities.  It just means that more of an effort may be required to pull them off.  And that’s fine, for in my opinion, putting in extra effort makes the reward of the final pay off far sweeter.