“As Simple As Possible, But Not Simpler,” comes from Einstein

Albert Einstein was one funny guy.

Funny, as in sharply insightful, though by all accounts he was ha-ha funny, as well.

This one liner of his (one of many) perfectly encapsulates an outlook that I’m finding increasingly necessary — in my daily work as an MD, as a family man, and as a busy guy working with and against the current.

I first encountered the concept back in my freshman college days, back when, despite being class valedictorian of my high school, I thought that Omni magazine was a reliable scientific journal, oy.

Thankfully, I had two friends in my first class who gently, wincingly corrected me, and turned me to Scientific American, which was still over my head. But there was one article on complexity that stuck with me (and if it’s from Omni, then kudos and cheers to Bob Guccione).

I only remember 2 things about the article: the accompanying graphic (a CAD-CAM type dissection of the Space Shuttle), and the take home message:

Real life is complex. Push simplicity and you will eventually do yourself a disservice.

Or as Frank Herbert would later say: Real boats rock.

As Simple As Possible

I’ve spent most of my adult life influenced variously by Asian schools of thought, both academically and culturally, and the concept of simplifying life has a long, impressive pedigree. And there’s no question that when it comes to cleaning up the attic, or your cluttered closet, you can simplify and prune away a whole lot more than you thought you could — and then some more.

We live in a time of excess, everywhere. Small toys, gadgets, emails, snack foods…most of us could carve away half of what we regularly accumulate and be none the worse for it, if not better, spiritually.

But as absolutely necessary — and hard — as that kind of keeping trim is, that kind of simplification is pretty trivial. We can all immediately grasp its importance, and rattle off some excellent tactics to accomplish it: trashing junk mail immediately without opening it, giving away or trashing clothes you haven’t touched in 6 months, avoiding starchy white carbs, salty foods, and late night snacking.

What’s become counterintuitive is the importance of complexity, or as bodywork coach extraordinaire, Scott Sonnon, puts it, sophistication.

…But Not Simpler

It’s a fine line, because both simplicity and sophistication can bring richness to life. I would posit — as the underlying theme of this blog — that they’re both similar, if not identical, when life is approached properly.

If you’d prefer to put a rosier spin on it than complexity, you could say, Real life is rich, and full. Breathtaking, even. And you can dull it either by dumbing down your approach to it, or letting “the 10,000 things,” as the Taoists say, get in the way.

In future posts, I’ll be emphasizing more the health and bodywork angle on this, because

1. it’s central to most every other aspect of healthy living
2. it’s enough grist to keep anyone’s mill grinding for a loooong time

But it’s equally applicable to matters of science and technology, medicine, business, or finance.

As the physicists and engineers might say, Be as elegant as the situation will allow.