Simplicity does not diminish life, it reveals what matters.

"Simplicity does not diminish life; it reveals what matters." Human beings are rational creature. From the birth we question things around us, we are curious. We question & interpret things we may or may not understand, but we do not rest until we get an answer. And what type of answer do we prefer? A single line, legible & simple answer.

Like our search for "Theory of Everything": one equation answering all complexities of the universe. But in a modern society like ours a single lined answer might not always help. Even it may complex things up more. But does it mean it cannot be made simpler? Does it mean it cannot be made more humane? Let us take an example of the current US-Iran conflict. There are thousands of theories and conspiracies around it. A large number of stakeholders and actors including the international economy, the middle eastern states, proxy groups, vulnerable citizens and what not. But if we take a step back and observe, it is simply about two sovereign nation states pursuing their perceived national interests. Is it legitimate or morally correct? That is for the experts to decide but the core issue of the conflict remains the same. In the same way in our personal life we tend to indulge in overcomplex scenarios and burn ourselves up in the process, while forgetting the actual purpose of all the things, why are we here after all.

What actually matters in life. Let us discuss how overcomplexity distracts us from the real purpose & how simplicity can guide us back. In modern globalised society consumerism is probably the most distinguished feature. Filling up our houses with things that we don't need, stuff we don't use and items we tend to forget two days after we bought them. But do these things fill out the hollow space in our heart longing for any meaningful connection or does it fill our ego to showcase ourselves being better than others? Gandhiji said the world has enough for everyone's need but not for everyone's greed. Thus rather than chasing new things to buy, places to spend we should ask what do we really need to live a healthy, happy life. Further, taking the instance of 'Big Fat wedding' culture, where wedding has become a symbol of status rather than a ritual of engaging two souls. The paradox of manifold rise in divorce rates and at the same time boom in the wedding industry shows how complexity tends to distract from what really matters: compatibility of two persons. In the age of social media, influencers & algorithm, we tend to put big emphasis on facebook friends, instagram followers, youtube views. But do they really show true connection? In 2020, famous bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput tragically passed away by suicide. He had millions of followers and fans who loved him but did it really amount to be any connection to him at the time of need? Again, in our modern economy we focus on advanced economic models with fancy graphs, analysis & hypothesis, but at the grassroots level people still face economic disparity. One such example can be of the 'Trickle Down Method' of removing poverty. On paper it looked perfect but actually on the ground it was not able to make lasting impact. Rather simpler solutions like investing in education, direct intervention through schemes like PM Kisan, PM JAY, MNGREGA have been much more successful. Further in government, bureaucracy has expanded manyfolds, has evolved many machinery and formulated many rules, but still to avail any basic service, one has to circle around offices & departments. The process of simplification itself has become so complex that the end goal of service delivery has been displaced, termed by Weber as goal displacement by bureaucracy. Lastly, on a societal level, our perception of morality has been made so complex that it seems our primary goal is to negate the views of others rather to achieve our own. Taking the example of recent protest at Jantar Mantar, the whole internet is divided into sections, some supporting the protestors some criticising, some supporting police action, some arguing government action. But among all these the main issue of examination transparency is getting lost. This shows how overcomplexity not only distracts but also harms the process of decision making.

Now, let us take a step back and ask ourselves, is simplicity always the right path? Does it always help us towards innovation or does it hinder creativity? One can argue simplicity might not be the panacea all the times. For example, Elon Musk, owner of SpaceX is currently dreaming to build a habitat in Mars and beyond. Can this idea be turned into reality with simple, everyday motives? I don't think so. Further, simplicity might inspire inactivity and following orders. But just by adhering to norms we would not get personalities like Bhagat Singh, Khudiram Bose, Sachin Sanyal who refused to live a mundane life and stood up for their beliefs. Further, in the age of deep tech and synthetic media, simplicity is just not an option for any citizen. One has to constantly steer through complex web of modern day innovations to protect oneself. For example the recent proliferation of deepfakes & synthetic media one cannot believe everything that he consumes online, simple faith in everything is not safe anymore. So, how should one go about in his life? How can one be still relevant in the modern age but also find what truly matters? Firstly, we have to prioritise our purpose in life. What truly matters. Not any flashy material possession or fake source of pleasure but in words of Bhagavat Gita: Nishkam Karma. Following one's duty towards the society, family & partner should be the utmost priority. Secondly, being humane rather than just existing as a human being. Swami Vivekananda said he who serves the living, serves the god. In service of others we may find the simplicity of life. Lastly, embracing the uncertainty. The modern world promises only one thing: Change. Thus we can either chase every other thing or embrace it to be the new normal. In conclusion, we can remark that to find our purpose in life, to find what truly matters we must look inside ourselves not rely on any external influence. Humans are born simple & in the end we simply return to our original state. All the complexities & argument lie in between. The greatest mystery about life is, it can only be understood in reverse but it has to be lived forwards. The purpose of life remain same for all of us, to find happiness in our survival, to find meaning in our existence. Life coming from us not at us, it takes time to understand it. But the best we can do today is try, try and find meaning in ordinary, try and find happiness in mundane, try and find beauty in simplicity.

Now, let us take a step back and ask ourselves, is simplicity always the right path? Does it always help us towards innovation or does it hinder creativity? One can argue simplicity might not be the panacea all the times. For example, Elon Musk, owner of SpaceX is currently dreaming to build a habitat in Mars and beyond. Can this idea be turned into reality with simple, everyday motives? I don't think so. Further, simplicity might inspire inactivity and following orders. But just by adhering to norms we would not get personalities like Bhagat Singh, Khudiram Bose, Sachin Sanyal who refused to live a mundane life and stood up for their beliefs. Further, in the age of deep tech and synthetic media, simplicity is just not an option for any citizen. One has to constantly steer through complex web of modern day innovations to protect oneself. For example the recent proliferation of deepfakes & synthetic media one cannot believe everything that he consumes online, simple faith in everything is not safe anymore. So, how should one go about in his life? How can one be still relevant in the modern age but also find what truly matters? Firstly, we have to prioritise our purpose in life. What truly matters. Not any flashy material possession or fake source of pleasure but in words of Bhagavat Gita: Nishkam Karma. Following one's duty towards the society, family & partner should be the utmost priority. Secondly, being humane rather than just existing as a human being. Swami Vivekananda said he who serves the living, serves the god. In service of others we may find the simplicity of life. Lastly, embracing the uncertainty. The modern world promises only one thing: Change. Thus we can either chase every other thing or embrace it to be the new normal. In conclusion, we can remark that to find our purpose in life, to find what truly matters we must look inside ourselves not rely on any external influence. Humans are born simple & in the end we simply return to our original state. All the complexities & argument lie in between. The greatest mystery about life is, it can only be understood in reverse but it has to be lived forwards. The purpose of life remain same for all of us, to find happiness in our survival, to find meaning in our existence. Life coming from us not at us, it takes time to understand it. But the best we can do today is try, try and find meaning in ordinary, try and find happiness in mundane, try and find beauty in simplicity.