Not long after settling into our usual spots, mugs in hand and the rich scent of freshly brewed coffee filling the air, our ritual played out like it has done countless times before: the debate ending where it began with a friendly agreement to disagree.
Today’s topic was simplicity versus complexity. In other words, that age-old question of whether life’s truths are best found by simply cutting to the chase through the noise or by attempting to embrace all the layers.
The simplifier
Nathan, eyes sharp and certain as usual, leaned forward:
“Look, if you won’t explain something simply, not only do you not really understand it, you are hiding something. Period.” Tapping his mug for emphasis, he continued, “Complexity is almost always just a smokescreen people use to hide nonsense or cover up lies.”
To him, true transparency, and mastery for that matter, means stripping everything down to its essence. Big words and complicated theories are just a cover for saying nothing at all and pulling the wool over our eyes.
The complexity appreciator
Alex, who always sees the shade of gray, smiled and said calmly:
“Easy for you to say if you are chopping life into bite-sized pieces. Oversimplification can sometimes flatten the truth and erase the subtleties and lead to some very unfortunate results because the world isn’t a Twitter (now, X) thread where everything fits into a minimal number of characters.”
Alex added that some things are just inherently complex, and pretending they are simple isn’t only, for lack of another word, dangerous, we most will lose context: miss the ‘why’ behind the ‘what.’
It gets personal
Why Do People Stay in Bad Relationships?
Nathan: “Fear of being alone. Lack of self-worth. Simple.”
Sarah (with a sigh): “Not really. It’s never that simple. There is emotional dependency, shared history, financial ties, trauma bonds, etc., etc… You can’t just ‘simplify’ someone’s pain.”
Nathan: “That is my point! This all sounds like someone who is making something complicated to avoid the simple truth.”
Sarah: “Or maybe you’re making it too simple to avoid discomfort.”
Religion?
Nathan: “If you can’t get the core message, what’s the point?”
Mark (pretty much silent till now): “A 2000-year-old tradition with countless interpretations can’t be boiled down without losing everything meaningful to millions and millions of people.”
Nathan: “I’m glad you said that. Not all religions fit that mold. Some have very clear and straightforward concepts, which illustrate my point: you convolute when…”
Inflation?
Nathan: “So, inflation? It isn’t just supply and demand, right?”
Sarah: “If only! There’s monetary policy, we have global supply chains, and geopolitical tensions to contend with. And, of course, corporate greed… Saying it’s ‘simple’ ignores the very real factors hurting us all.”
Hiding lies or reflecting reality?
Are people who are defending complexity only trying to bamboozle us with big words? Unfortunately, the answer is sometimes, yes. However, other times I believe they are honestly trying to reflect an intricate truth with those high-sounding words. It is a fine line!
As our coffees cooled, the debate still circled back to where it began: Nathan still championed always cutting to the chase no matter what. Others, Alex and Sarah in particular, still held firm that all the layers matter.
The real truth, however, lies somewhere in between: knowing when to simplify and when to take in all the layers. This is, without a doubt, the wisest skill of all.
What about you? Are you a simplifier or a complexity defender yourself? Do you believe in breaking everything down to the nitty-gritty, or do you think everything, or some things at least, deserves its layered existence? Or are you somewhere in the middle?
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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Photo credit: Jud Mackrill On Unsplash
