bcg blog

The Fight for Simplicity

I’m very grateful for my childhood. Primarily for my parents who were loving, but honest; empowering, but strict; and hard working, but family-centered. I am extremely aware of my good fortune and recognize that I am still prospering from that good fortune. 

I’m also grateful for the time in history I grew up in. The heart of my childhood was the ‘80s. Electricity and indoor plumbing were pretty well established, television was coming along nicely - even though the youngest in the house usually had to serve as the remote, and travel was far enough advanced to not have to worry about getting from one place to another. 

The ‘80s were also well before technology took over. There was little competition for our attention. Spending hours upon hours outside playing was the norm and I looked forward to it every day. We had no agenda and no rules other than don’t die. Those were fun parameters for a kid.

Thinking back to those times always brings a smile to my face. 
I can’t say the same about the world kids today grow up in.

Why Should We Care?
When considering the future my thoughts are drawn to our ever-growing need to be entertained, want for excessive safety, and addiction to technology advancement. None of them are healthy, yet we charge forward in the facade of progress. But, is it really progress?
The need to be entertained is devastating to our curiosity. 
The obsession for safety restricts the development of our resilience. 
The addiction to technology blocks our willingness to fully appreciate simplicity.
I don’t believe the pursuit of progress, or technological growth, has the intent to cause these issues. I think technology, especially, is designed to simplify certain aspects of life. All the safety guidelines are obviously meant to protect people. And, entertainment is simply meant to help us enjoy life even more. 
In the pursuit of excellence we must be cautious of these dichotomies. 
While entertainment is enjoyable, there is significant benefit in our ability to creatively respond to situations that present themselves in our life with simple, common solutions even when they are less than enjoyable. Risk, while it has the potential to introduce physical and emotional harm into our life, is also one of the only paths to simple life-giving qualities like self-confidence, resilience, and toughness. Technological advancements keep us at the forefront of modern society, but often at the expense of an appreciation for the simple, basic foundations of life. 
If we want the present, and certainly the future, to be as incredible as the past we are going to need to begin fighting for simplicity. 
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REAL TALK - Action Steps
It’s simplicity that gets lost in all the examples shared above. Give a toddler a toy in a big box and I guarantee their curiosity with the box will entertain them longer than the toy will. Watch little kids on playgrounds, if you can find one without adults hovering waiting to catch little Johnny or Jenny, you'll see simple problem-solving being practiced and resilience being grown. They figure out what’s safe and what isn’t. And, take note of the unfiltered joy young people experience playing with no technology around. 
Here are a few more ideas to help win the fight for simplicity:

• Think About Kindergarten 
  
  • Say please and thank you. Be on time. Hold the door. Do what you say you will do. Be kind. Think before you speak. Say sorry. Put others in front of yourself. Ask questions when you don’t understand. Smile. Treat others the way you would like to be treated. It’s all still important. Probably the most important.
    

• Do Some Hard Stuff
  
  • The more the better. All the time is not the time to play it safe. It’s hindering your growth in every aspect of your life. Fail, figure it out, then fail again. Mental or physical - doesn’t really matter. Find ways to force yourself to respond to challenges that you put in front of yourself. Often.
    

• Evaluate Technology
  
  • All technology is not created equal. Before just jumping in with two feet on every advancement in technology, consider the benefit and cost to using it. It all has costs beyond the purchase price. It may be worth it or it may not be, but at the least you should consider it.
    

Simplicity seems to get a bad wrap as never being good enough. We spend our life trying to replace it with a future that’s supposedly going to be so much better - shinier, faster, and more powerful. Yet, we always seem to return to the basics. We don’t like it, but sometimes it really is that simple.
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