Word of the Week

Simplicity

Definition: freedom from complexity, intricacy, or division into parts

Consider this...

The famous exclamation of the 14th century Czech reformer priest “Oh sancta simplicitas!” meaning “Oh, holy simplicity!” is a concise yet complex one. Though we can reasonably assume Jan Hus screamed the above with a pejorative undertone as he watched a peasant fuel the fire he was being burnt on, we can admire the truth value of the saying itself even today.

As I am becoming older and things in my life are getting more complicated, I am learning to value simplicity more. I think back to my childhood when life was simple. The questions I asked had simple answers. Relationships did not seem complicated. I loved everyone I knew, and I knew everyone loved me. When I happened not to like something, I just “did not like it” and the feeling did not come with the urge to explore my dislike, to analyze or rationalize it.

I was recently looking for health insurance for myself. During my research, I continued to be routinely overwhelmed with information, I sometimes found “facts” to be contradictory, and I found advice to be quite varied. Eventually I was unable to keep the hundreds of factors and pieces of information in my head (or on paper, for that matter) for the nearly 60 health plans I was considering.

I found myself wanting something rare: for an insurance agent to pick up the phone, listen to my needs and limitations and say “ok, I have the perfect plan for you: the Good Health 3000 is most definitely what you should go with.” But I never got this. Every time I talked to a representative she said, “It is up to your needs and desires and your budget and values and so on.” Tricky, because I knew my needs, desires, budget and values, and it still took me a really long time to finally arrive at an ideal plan, the plan my husband has. The funny part of the story is that I started my research thinking, “I would like to have a very similar plan to my husband’s.” Eight spreadsheets and many hours of phone conversations later, I am back to where I started.

Along the process, I wished so many times that it had been simpler. Not because I don’t like to use my brain, but because, not being an expert on the topic, I continued to have a slight fear that I would not be going with the right health plan. Do I regret having gone through the process of insurance selection? Absolutely not! I think I now know a way to make it simpler for myself when I have a child and need health insurance for him or her. I can help a friend out, too, if s/he needs my advice.

I value that in the midst of overwhelming information, our brains are capable of creating mental shortcuts to help us clarify situations and to teach us to be able to do it simpler the next time. Ironically, the road to simplicity has many complicating challenges along it.

A simple truth that is handed to us can be valuable, but learning to create simplicity in our lives, often through complications and struggles can be just as meaningful.