An interesting article that uses Miles Davis’s “Kind of Blue” to explore the idea of ‘radical simplicity’. In this case the move from complexifying be-bop, toward freer, simpler music – resulting in the most successful Jazz record ever.
I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but it’s a parable for keeping things simple:
An American businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied only a little while. The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish?
The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.
The American then asked, but what do you do with the rest of your time?
The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life, senor.”
The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat, with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution.
You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise.”
The Mexican fisherman asked, “But senor, how long will this all take?”
To which the American replied, “15-20 years.”
“But what then, senor?”
The American laughed and said “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions.”
“Millions, senor? Then what?”
The American said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”
If you describe someone as Epicurean, you’ll find that the most widely understood meaning is of a person devoted to refined sensuous enjoyment (especially good food and drink). Synonyms include – hedonistic, sensualist, pleasure-seeking, self-indulgent, sybaritic, decadent, unrestrained, extravagant, intemperate, immoderate, gluttonous, gourmandizing.
Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher (341-270BC) who based his teaching on the theory that all good and bad derive from the sensations of pleasure and pain: What is good is what is pleasurable, and what is bad is what is painful. However, because he posits that pleasure is the ultimate good, it is commonly misunderstood as a doctrine that advocates the partaking in fleeting pleasures such as constant partying, orgiastic sexual excess and expensive food. In fact this contradicts to his teaching. Why it is that ‘the pursuit of pleasure’ normally connotes short-termist decadence, rather than longer-term fulfilment?
Amongst the reasoning there are a couple points that stand out – the first, that humans are actually simple creatures who react to intensity, rather than simplicity. For example, we find it easier to conceive of the short-term pleasure of drunkenness (intense), rather than the pain of the hangover over more time (less intense). We are often unable to adequately weigh up the long-term health benefits of exercise, versus the short-term pain of hitting the gym (intense). We take drugs because of the high (intense), rather than the longer-term physiological or psychological damage. In each example, the cumulative pain of drugs, alcohol, or not exercising might in fact be more painful and intense if compacted into the same amount of time than the pleasure. Yet we continue to make simple choices that can cause more cumulative pain than pleasure. Anyone who has struggled with addiction, over-eating, dieting or simply getting out and doing some exercise will have given in to the short-term.
Secondly, what Epicurus taught is the power of simple pleasures. Decadent pleasures such as eating rich foods, drinking, lavish lifestyles etc. and the things associated with the modern definition of Epicureanism, are complex. When analyzed holistically, they can often bring more pain than pleasure, whether to the immediate actor, or to society and the environment more widely. Epicurus taught that a deeper analysis of pleasure-seeking determined that simplicity was, in fact, the route to greater pleasure.
Making the decision to simplify my life has been, as you might be able to tell from this blog, the most rewarding decision I’ve made in recent years. I feel bolder, stronger and happier. I love the power that simplicity brings.
It’s amazing how many of the most influential businesses have extremely simple designs, plans or products. Yet it’s easy to believe that the more products and services you add, the more likely you are to succeed.
As an ex-entrepreneur who has found wonder and delight in simplicity, I’m amazed at how complicated businesses can become in their quest to provide goods and services.
Many business gurus and books, such as The Laws of Simplicity, or my absolute favorite of all time: Let My People Go Surfing and Maverick, have promoted simplicity with remarkable success.
On the internet, we could all learn the lesson from the Google story – the art of simplifying. Despite hundreds of services, they still only offer ~10 links on their home page. It is no coincidence that one of the simplest pages is also the most popular.
Why businesses should simplify:
Other posts you might like:
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Google's home page - a testament to the success simplicity can bring
Simpletom will explore and analyze the increased desire and need for simplicity in modern society.
We’re continually tantalized by simplicity. Our banks, our supermarkets, our computers, our phones – each claim to offer us a simpler life. A life of one-stop-shops, single-clicks, free delivery, no-hassle purchases and ease-of-use… and yet our world seems increasingly complex.
Mankind’s relentless striving for progress means that we as a species understand more of our world than ever before. We have more information at our fingertips than we did this time last year. With the rise of printed material, information spread like wildfire. With the advent of computing and the Internet, it has exploded. Yet as society advances, our individual ability to keep up diminishes – it can sometimes feel like you’re trying to dig a hole in a Saharan sandstorm, just to keep up.
The solution is one man has struggled with since society began: Simplicity. Given the complexity of modern life, it comes as a surprise to remind ourselves that much of mankind’s efforts have been an attempt to simplify our world. For example, getting from A to B (cue the automobile, the airplane), or communicating (the telephone or the computer), or staying warm (the house and electricity). Yet we often seem to be making things more difficult, rather than easier.
This blog will demonstrate why simplicity is so important, and how you can bring simplicity into your daily life in order to create greater meaning, greater peace and greater happiness.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication – Leonardo da Vinci
