Many things in life are straightforward and simple. But others require nuance and complexity to fully appreciate. Without making life overly complicated, we must remember to stay complex in navigating our path forward.
Generally speaking, we like the simple life. This is why we naturally establish routines and rhythms, as they simplify our life and take the guesswork out of each day.
And a clear simple message tends to grab our attention much more than dense complicated ones – preferring the sound bite to the dissertation.
But while simplicity has its place, life is not always simple. It’s messy and we’re often confronted with choices that have no one right answer.
Likewise, the human soul is a deep thing and will not conform neatly to boxes, labels, and our various social distinctions.
But appreciating complexity doesn’t mean we make life any harder than what it has to be.
For instance, when we see a neighbor in need the simple and correct response is to simply love. There’s not a lot to figure out in taking this initial step. And all too often we delay love waiting on the perfect response rather than just starting.
However, where the complexity comes in is in discerning if the help we’re giving is actually helpful. While the simple answer is love, love requires more than a one-size-fits-all approach and must be nuanced to the particular needs of each situation.
And this balance of the simple and the complex is needed throughout our life and relationships.
We miss the depth, mystery, and creative joys of life when we become overly simple. And we get bogged down and stuck when we make like too complicated.
Learn to embrace simplicity while staying complex. This provides much needed wisdom in addressing the issues of life.
Photo by John Peters on Unsplash
