Make it simple

One night the poet Awhadi of Kerman was sitting on his porch, bent over a vessel. Shams e-Tabrizi happened to pass by.

Shams: "What are you doing?"

Awhadi: "Contemplating the moon in a bowl of water."

Shams: "Unless you have broken your neck, why don't you look at the moon in the sky?"

A short story that tells we too complicate things in our lives like the poet did by looking at the moon in the bowl instead of directly. How much of the self created complexity is necessary is a question the answer for which will vary from person to person. The problem is we are creatures of habit and allow things to continue because they have been there for long.

Recently my daughter gifted me with a mobile phone that has innumerable features and applications. It has tiny buttons on all sides and if you press any of them something is activated or shut down. Ninety percent of the features are unnecessary for me except for receiving/making calls or sending messages. I am always at sea with it. I have an iPad, a laptop and a computer gifted to me on different occasions. I would like to simplify things without hurting them. Duplication is complication. We have Adhaar card, voter ID, Passport, ration card, driving license and such and all of them are meant to ensure the identity of individual for different purposes. Cannot one will do?

When I go to a sweet shop to buy some sweets, there are four persons ahead of me in the line. The showcases contain different varieties in mind boggling shapes and colours of the same basic ingredient. The man at the head of the line is unable to decide what he wants and spends long time in making his choice. Why can he not decide beforehand what he wants instead of making others behind him getting impatient? If you had gone to a jewelry or sari shop with your wife or girl friend you would know how complicated and time consuming it is to choose from the bewildering varieties. Choices add to complication.

Buying automobiles or electronic items like computers, TVs, washing machine is a complex area. Would not life be wonderful if we keep them simple and not unduly complicated? In everything you need, you have umpteen types, shapes, sizes, price ranges and sophistication. Some things are essential as labour saving devices but we need to eschew complexity in them. We often forget simple is elegant but overload ourselves with many things or inputs. We minimize the importance of the functional and go for gloss and complexity. The main areas we need to simplify are food, clothes, gadgets and clutter in the house.

Life would be far more comfortable if only we keep things simple.. It will save avoidable bother. Let us not forget that simple and beautiful can go together But what is simple and functional varies with individuals. The bottom line however is life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.