The Complexity of Simple
I tend to associate the word "
simple" with uneducated, nascar loving, tabacco chewing, cowboy looking, mustache growing, gun toting, hill folk. AKA not something to be desired.
I don't know if I developed this notion from American culture, living in Utah, my religious background, or a decision I unconsciously made a long time ago (probably a combination of them all), but for as long as I can recall, "simple" has carried a negative connotation.
My resistance to simplicity has caused an inclination toward over-complication... who knew? As I mature, I realize that everything has it's opposite, therefore, nothing can truly be simple without being complex as well.
Take these famous quotes for example:
"One small step for man" - Neil Armstrong
"Rome wasn't built in a day" - English version of a French Idiom
“The most instructive experiences are those of everyday life” - Friedrich Nietzsche
"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." - Martin Luther King Jr.
"The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."- Calvin Coolidge
If you think about the reasons behind the inspiration of these quotes, it can become complex fairly quick. However, by focusing on the simplicity of these words, a common theme can be seen; paying close attention to the little details of life can lead us to greatness. We won't see it until we look back at it, but if we make the little decisions now based on the bigger goals, we will see how it all fits together.
It's like taking a test and then studying for it.
It's like running a marathon you didn't know you were participating in until you reach the finish line.
It's like constructing a building and then drawing a blueprint to match the final product.
It's like a bunch of other things.
I need to remember that simple is not such a bad thing. The answers to most of the difficult questions in life are simple in nature and only become complicated when applying them personally. Therefore, simple cannot exist without complex and complex cannot exist without simple. They're codependent best friends.
Reminds me of something you said a few weeks ago. I believe it went like this...
ReplyDelete"Asking the right questions is the right answer."
My Kung Fu Panda version of what you said...
'To find the right answer you must ask the right question.'
"Quit, don't quit. Noodle soup, don't noodle soup."