The universe is vast. It’s a composition of stars, moons, suns, planets, black holes, time itself and galaxies we know nothing about.
Earth has land masses and bodies of water. It hosts elaborate ecosystems with immeasurable numbers of flora and fauna.
Oceans overall are made up of tiny droplets of water and a mountain is an aggregate of soil and stone.
Trees have intricate root systems, trunks, bark, various branches, blossoms and leaves.
Flowers have stems and stamens and pistils and petals and probably a lot of other things I cannot recall from my biology days.
My point here is, things are complicated and honestly, not always what they appear to be. They always have been. Since our existence, we’ve sought to simplify and in many cases over-simplify. We simplify the things that need further examination, and we tend to complicate the things that don't need complication.
Philosophers study this notion, and again, have studied it since our existence as a species began. This isn’t new. So why is it so damn hard sometimes to keep it in mind? Why do many of us simplify things that we shouldn’t, forgetting to take in the minutiae and beauty of what is around us?
Let me ask you this: when was the last time you made eye contact with someone on the street, in a hall or elevator, and noticed the color of their eyes or smiled at them? When was the last time you studied a leaf and the complicated pattern it unlocks when holding it up to the sun? Or how long has it been since you have watched raindrops hit a puddle and observed the tiny waves each makes?
How many times have you checked your email or social media today? Have you overthought a situation or interaction, inserting an inner dialogue of what ifs or how shoulds? When was the last time you said exactly what you meant?
Henry David Thoroeau once said “Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify, simplify!”
Let’s just be sure we are simplifying the right things. Or did I just complicate everything? Asking for a friend…
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