This revolves around the thought of minimalism where attempts are made in situations where unnecessary or unwanted aspects are deliberately avoided or removed.
I rather found this an interesting topic to touch upon only because there seems to be a need for us to slow down especially in this materialistic world. So here are a few touch points for us to ponder whether less is more:
1. Advice:
Many times, we are bombarded in today’s world with multiple choices. It’s not just Allopathy, Homeopathy or Ayurveda, but the many other aspects to go with it – like diet, nutrition, fitness, etc. There are so many diets that we come across almost like it’s akin to fashion seasons. To cap all of these choices, we have the ‘Internet Doctor’, where many of us could either be mentally cured or devastated on reading many articles associated with the ailment that we searched for.
2. Projects:
Technological changes have made it possible for multiple options to be presented to us for completion of our projects. We have multiple project software, networked and collaborative where project team members can keep everyone together but at the same time, each member of the same project could be on different frequencies because of multiple tools being used which should have actually enhanced productivity and efficiency levels.
We ask for different versions more because of availability of choice and not because of being satisfied with the first cut – The boss says "I’m satisfied but I need you to check the other available template options as well before coming up with the optimum solution."
3. Gadgets:
This is the biggest drawback of having more. Today, we have complicated our lives and this is evident even while accomplishing small or trivial tasks. We have actually become more dependent on tools and technologies rather than relying on our ‘simple’ brains. Today we have more people talking to ‘voice assistants’ of phone manufacturers or search engine even to find out the time, weather, appointment, or to complete a trivial task for them. The irony seems to be that life has gone more complicated with multiple apps rather than making our life more simple.
4. Consumer products:
This is one of the major areas where we are challenged of having too much and running into problems of choice. Years gone by, we would have had limited choice whether it was for our Toothpaste, Shampoo or Cooking oil, but today, we have dozens of different choices to choose from. There is variety but at the same time there’s confusion.
We are caught in a dilemma which one to choose from? We have bigger houses and smaller families more conveniences, but less time we have more degrees, but less sense more knowledge, but less judgment more experts, but more problems more medicine, but less wellness. [Extract from the Paradox of Our Time.]
5. Materialistic:
I was once told by a colleague that he actually stayed in a 722 sq. ft house despite it being a big 3 -bedroom apartment (which for the record was actually 2000 sq.ft). He mockingly shared that he had duplicates for most of his household articles – TV, Refrigerator, Cots and more. We are challenged today of fighting the temptation of buying articles because its cheap and not because we need it. Finally, It's upto us as to who we want to be like? Be like the man who paid 2$ for a 1$ item that he desperately wanted or the other who paid 1$ for a 2$ item that he didn’t need but bought it just because he thought it was a ‘good deal’.
6. Clothes:
The same can be said of clothes that we wear. We have divided our wardrobe into many more ways than before. Today it is Formal, Business casual, Casual, Fitness wear, Friday, Weekday, Functions, sports, cleaning overalls and more.
7. Data overload:
We suffer from data overloads these days with messages, notifications and updates from tens of Apps on our mobile phone and it is rather challenging to keep up with all of them. I am sure that most of us have been questioned or asked by our friends as to why did we not reply to their message, despite having read the message. Also, sometimes one may be asked as to why they didn’t answer their messages even though they were ‘online’.
8. Coffee and Tea:
In the earlier years when Cappuccino, Latte and Mocha weren’t available in India, we had one of our relatives return from the US on a Holiday and then at an Indian café, she tried ordering a Cappuccino and then the waiter told her that they served either Coffee or Tea. That’s when we realized that less is more especially when there are about ten different varieties of Tea or Coffee that is served. The above list can go on and on and on but I don’t want to elaborate further because ‘less is more’.
It’s time to reflect on our personal and professional lives that we lead to check on identifying whether we are complicating the simple or we are content with having stuff in moderation.
