Simplicity in Life

Let us understand simplicity to be a state in which, given a certain context, (i) the unnecessary elements are absent, and (ii) the essential elements are present. For example, suppose you wish to hang a small picture on a wall, and your solution is to knock in ten nails for the picture to hang on, and you also fasten the picture to the wall with double-sided tape, and with glue. In that case, your solution is not simple but complex, for only one nail is necessary to achieve the goal.

Obviously, in most cases, simplicity is good and desirable while complexity is undesirable. Just look, for example, at the simplicity of Jesus’ life: he never started a business, never built up wealth, never trained to be an athlete, never slaved away at a worldly career, never overindulged in food or entertainment, never splurged on shopping, never wrote books, and so on. Jesus focused on the essentials for his goal: to reveal the Father to us, and to suffer a human death for our salvation. Jesus’ life was simple yet profound.

Now, although simplicity is itself simple and easy to understand, we struggle to apply it to our lives because we often embrace the unnecessary. You want a comfortable lifestyle, but you obsessively stalk after far more money than is required. You want a friend, so you accumulate hundreds of social media “followers”. You want to satisfy your hunger, so you overeat. You want to communicate that you’re frustrated, so you scream and swear and manipulate. You want to love God, so you attend morning church, and evening church, and Wednesday homegroup, and Friday morning prayer meetings, and Saturday church functions, and you “serve” at all these.

Our problem is that we complicate life.

However, the solution to this is, well, simple: when you wish to achieve something, determine which elements are essential and which are unnecessary, and then focus on the essential and avoid the unnecessary. But don’t expect the essential to be easier to achieve than is the necessary, for sometimes it is not, which explains why we sometimes perform the unnecessary first. For example, reading short social media posts and news articles is easier than reading a novel, but the former is unnecessary for improving your reading life.

Of course, we should not obsess over simplicity, nor should we eliminate essentials in the name of simplicity, nor should we neglect our emotions and desires. You are thirsty and desire a cup of tea, so, in the name of simplicity, you merely drink a glass of water. Your solution, however, is not simple because it neglects the necessary – only a cup of tea can satisfy your desire for a cup of tea. The lesson: do not mistake lessness for simplicity.

So aim for simplicity; value it, seek it, enjoy it. A simple life will benefit you greatly, my friend.