“It’s simple really”, or, “simply irresistible”, or “you said it would be simple”, or “simple is as simple does”. I could go on and on with phrases that use some form of the word simple. But in this paper I want to look at “Simplicity”.
Here is what Wikipedia has to say about Simplicity and I like it as a jumping off point.
“Simplicity is a more qualitative word connected to simple. It is a property, condition, or quality which things can be judged to have. It usually relates to the burden which a thing puts on someone trying to explain or understand it. Something which is easy to understand or explain is simple, in contrast to something complicated. In some uses, simplicity can be used to imply beauty, purity or clarity. Simplicity may also be used in a negative connotation to denote a deficit or insufficiency of nuance or complexity of a thing, relative to what is supposed to be required.
The concept of simplicity has been related to truth in the field of epistemology. According to Occam’s razor, all other things being equal, the simplest theory is the most likely to be true. In the context of human lifestyle, simplicity can denote freedom from hardship, effort or confusion. Specifically, it can refer to a simple living lifestyle.”
When I was in sales I went to a sales seminar where the keynote speaker talked about the KISS method of sales. No, not selling kisses but when faced with the task of convincing someone to buy something sometimes the best thing is to “Keep It Simple, Stupid”. In other words, don’t oversell. But you can apply the KISS principle to almost every circumstance imaginable, like living.
We Americans have a way of making living very complicated. And don’t think that the “good ol’ days” were not complicated because they were. It is all a matter of perspective. Regardless of your wealth, or lack thereof, your ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, living is complicated.
And why is it that way? Why must living be so complicated? Where did it all get off track? As I reflect on my life in my 30’s, 40’s and up to about my mid 50’s I was the one that made my life so complicated. But now that I have entered my sixth decade something seems to be coming crystal clear. And that is that the simplicity of it all is where it’s at.
You see, when I was in my younger years I was completely invested in the work hard, make more money, acquire more stuff, work harder, make more money, get a bigger house and so on and so forth. I had bought into everything the world of marketers and media had projected on me in order to feel good and be successful.
And you know what, I made more money, I bought more stuff, I got the bigger house but did that do it for me? At each benchmark I thought it did a lot for me. I was going to give my children a better life than I had growing up or die trying.
Now as I look around at the world I live in, as I read more periodicals, talk with more people and in general be a more observant person I see and encounter complexity at every turn permeating every facet of our existence.
There was a time when I actually was in management training for Foodmaker, Inc., the parent company of Jack-In-The-Box. During training they gave us these four inch three ring binders that contained an excruciatingly in-depth description of how every product was to be constructed. It was unbelievably complicate. You see, to them there was no simplicity in making a hamburger.
Most recently we all have been bombarded with one political or social fire storm after another. Every debate is complicated. Every word parsed, every vocal inflection tagged with some nefarious meaning. The more complicated the more the rhetoric is ratcheted up. But the truth, when you strip away all the layers of what every interested party tries to dress the subject up in, is usually very simple.
The simplicity of it all is that it really is so simple. You say, OK Richard, just what do you mean by that. Well, for me there was simplicity in my weight loss journey and that was, eat less and move more. If I burned more calories than I consumed then I was going to lose weight. Simple.
You want to get out of debt? The simplicity of that is spending less than you make and save some for the future. Simple.
You want better gas mileage out of your car? The simplicity of that is doing the basics of maintenance. Change the oil regularly, keep your tires at the correct air pressure, don’t be a led foot because stopping at every stoplight is a real drag on your gas mileage. Simple.
I could go on and on but you get the picture. Take anything you want to improve or change and drill down to the foundational basics and there you will find the simplicity of the solution.
I love the words of the old Shaker hymn “Simple Gifts”. I’m sure you have heard it before.
“Simple Gifts” was written by Elder Joseph while he was at the Shaker community in Alfred, Maine in 1848.
‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free,
‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain’d,
To bow and to bend we shan’t be asham’d,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come round right.”
I love this text because it embodies what I’m trying to say.
In simpleness there is freedom.
It is a gift to come down to where we ought to be. Not where the marketers and media moguls want us to be.
You will find yourself in the place just right, and when you are there, what you will experience is love and delight.
When you gain the simplicity of it all, you will not be ashamed of being different because as you turn and turn in your seeking of simplicity, you will discover the delight of the true you.
And, for you, you will come round right. Not the right of any other influence but your right.
There is something to be said for living more simply and living with less. It is a journey that many are moving towards. I’m moving in that direction a little at a time. Like some gamblers who are “all in”, some are dumping it all and making an “all in” move to the simple or simpler life.
When I see pictures of people on foreign soils that obviously have less than we Americans have, most of the time, all things being equal, they seem to be happy people with just what they have.
Shall we push ourselves away from the table of consumption and excess? Shall we turn in our membership card in the club of more? Shall we look deep into our inner most self and find contentment in the “valley of love and delight?
Something to think about isn’t it?
RA Compton – August / October 2010
