Simplicity #2
Pursuing simplicity is not simple.
Life fills up with too much far too easily. Think of the desk drawer that quickly gathers all sorts of odds and ends, or that one drawer where all of the cords go never to be the right cord again. Email and phone notifications become inundated with offers and news that were once interesting but now only garner a quick delete. Expenses, subscriptions, junk piles, and more bring complexity.
The quest for simplicity begins within. While some of the application will manifest externally with more frugal spending or reduction in stuff, simplicity is ultimately an internal job. It is an invitation to freedom.
In an effort to simplify the stuff in your life, you might ask: Does this bring me joy? Does the clutter make you feel better or worse?
Internally, it is easy to allow the noise to rage. But, creating moments of quiet peace and solitude can put you in a position to release excessive mental baggage. Exercising the mind’s focus via prayer and meditation help to engage better thought. Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity; but I would give my life for the simplicity the other side of complexity.”
Most problems and conundrums are difficult because they are inherently complex and difficult. Yet, on the other side of the struggle, you may find simple principles that prevail, bringing clarity and peace.
Pursuing simplicity is not simple. In whatever ways you pursue it, however, it is worth the effort.
Worth Repeating
I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity; but I would give my life for the simplicity the other side of complexity.
-Oliver Wendell Holmes
