The Art of Simplicity

A quote has stuck with me: "[...] the more complex reality becomes, the more we seek easy solutions." - Whitney Goodman in an interview with Gazeta Wyborcza [https://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,28771850,przybylo-ludzi-ktorzy-uwazaja-ze-bycie-szczesliwym-to-ich.html]

For a long time, I've been searching for a theory of unification for different aspects on various levels. I won't delve into the details because it's just a working model for now. This theory of unification tends to simplify and generalize things.

Many times, I've found myself tempted by utopian, idyllic, or simply "easy" solutions, saying, "Take me, take me."

But recently, I've noticed that such simplifications are not optimal or are imitative without much thought.

The first potential culprit that comes to mind is atavism. In other words, our brain's structure is tuned to optimize modeling and learning in terms of energy and time. By optimizing such models (simplifying), solutions become possible. They may be suboptimal and sometimes even wrong, but they are feasible. The second culprit could be solutionism – using available solutions (as I define it). Since established or commercially packaged solutions (like vacations in nature or the "minimalism trend") are available, the mind once again optimizes and adopts these solutions. Again, they may be suboptimal.

On the other hand, simple solutions allow us to unburden our minds or move in a specific direction, making things happen or avoiding decision paralysis.

Perhaps, as usual, the truth lies in the middle. I personally lean towards the direction of the title of this post - "the art of simplicity" - because it often helps me significantly, and it seems to be the only solution to many problems. Additionally, all the tangential branches of decision-making, such as contemplation, meditation, consumerism, close the loop and contribute positively to simplifications.

But is it not a dead-end...?