Simplicity Above All

Hmmm, will you think me
perverse if I draw a line in the sand and steadfastly refuse to cross?

I am at heart a simple
man. Not necessarily a simple man to
understand, but let’s not open that can of worms. The point is I orient my
life where possible in favour of that which is clear and unequivocally simple.

It follows, them, that
it is the simple things that give me pleasure. Winding my way through meadows,
marshlands and forests, marveling at the winged wonders that inhabit them, is
what I enjoy more than anything else. Curling up with a good novel also rates
high on the list.

It also follows that I
have an aversion to things that are unnecessarily complicated, do not bend to
reason or do not work the way they are designed to. In the privacy of my own
home, I curse them out quite vociferously. In public, I do so under my breath.

Let me give you an
example. I have a tempestuous relationship with my television. I enjoy relaxing
in front of it to watch one my favourite programs. It serves its purpose in
this respect.

However, it takes 5 to
10 seconds to turn on for no apparent reason other than the jumble of
technology that is jammed into it. I find this quite annoying. I realize that this
technology powers more sophisticated features than the TVs of old. But I have
no interest in most of the special things it can do.

Furthermore, it is
programmed to turn on using the cable remote. However, periodically it perversely
declines to do so. I then have to use the remote that came with the television.
Once again, I find this more than a bit annoying and view it as a design
failure. But all I can do is quietly fume.

You might deduce that I
dislike complexity. But you would be mistaken. For example, identifying a
dragonfly, based on a combination of subtle markings, behaviour, posture,
habitat and geographic range, is an intellectual exercise I very much enjoy.

Here is the distinction.
I dislike things that are unnecessarily complicated
which is quite a different quality than complexity.
 My television is complicated. Thousands of lines of computer code interact in ways I
am convinced the programmers do not fully comprehend. This translates to
quirky, unpredictable operation which pushes my buttons, if you will pardon the
pun.

Where am I headed with
this idiosyncratic ramble? I suppose I am constructing the beginnings of a
personal manifesto – an attempt to make sense out of a nonsensical world by
carving out a niche for myself.

You could say I am
drawing a line in the sand. If you go looking for me, you will always find me
on the simplicity side of the life equation. The other side of the line is
foreign territory.

Returning to my original
premise, I am at heart a simple man. Simplicity pleases me. I allow for
complexity when it is ruled by reason. Beyond that my line in the sand applies
and ever shall.

For better or worse, this
is the world according to Michael.

~  Now Available Online
from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of
Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also
the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which
was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s
website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

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