I was thinking about simplicity as I was trying to listen to a cd on an old cd player the other day. The cd player was not really working properly. As I was trying to fix it, the thought struck me that had I been using a record player, it would be easy to diagnose and correct the problem since it has so few moving parts. I can fix a record player. I cannot fix a cd player. So which is better? Sure, the cd player may have better sound and be more portable. But what cd player is going to last 40 years like my parents' record player? What cd player is simple enough to fix without a degree in electrical engineering? Coincidentally, I was thinking about this while raking leaves my parents' yard. A rake is about as simple as it gets. Sure there are "more technological" ways to get leaves off a lawn, but rakes have been around for hundreds of years. If a rake breaks, I can fix it in 10 minutes with stuff around the house/yard. If a mulching lawn mower breaks, I am going to spend the rest of that day figuring out whats wrong and trying to get it fixed.
Ironically, the word "technology" has one of the vaguest definitions in the dictionary. Nobody can quite figure out what it is or how to define it. So why do we always think that technology is a great solution to our problems? Rarely does technology (in the modern sense of the word) simplify anything.
In my life, I want to pursue simplicity. Please note that I do not necessarily equate simplicity with ease. I recognize that by pursuing simplicity there may be areas of my life that are not always easy. Yet I recognize that by simplifying my life, I will have more attention to give to people and to God. Simplicity opens a door to deeper things. Simple relationships with people are formed through honesty and integrity, and that allows people to connect in a more personal and intimate way. Simple living means spending less money on things (which tend to accumulate anyway), showing generosity, and budgeting time to focus on others. In the midst of life's complexity, there is a simple truth that will never change and can never be complicated: God loves us, and we love Him because He first loved us. Every other thing in life falls under this truth and either works to preserve the simplicity of this statement or complicate it.
I choose to pursue simplicity and let my love for God grow.
