Which comes first: simple or complex

Your life will always be a mix of the simple or complex. The choice is which takes precedence. Would you like a complex life made out of simple things or a simple life facilitated by complex things? Mark Boyle shares his experience of living without technology. Hint: It’s not simple.

This way of life I have now adopted is often called “the simple life,” but that’s entirely misleading. It’s actually quite complex, made up of a thousand simple things. By contrast, my old life in the city was quite simple, but made up of a thousand complex things, like smartphones and plug sockets and plastic.

Important or irrelevant?

Words of wisdom, let us not be distracted:

[T]he important things require nuance, patience and understanding. They require an understanding of goals, of the way the world works and our mutual respect.

If someone keeps coming back to an irrelevant, urgent or provocative point instead, they’re signaling that they’d rather not talk about the important thing.

Which is precisely what we need to talk about.

Seth Godin