We live in a complex world. Most of our efforts to make things simple just create further levels of complexity. Take a moment to think about what it’s taken to relate this blog post to you now…
The working environment around us. The electricity we are consuming. The devices we are using to read this blog. We all have a sense of how these things are provided to us but I’d bet not one of us could create this complex system ourselves from scratch…
You might think you have no choice. Perhaps it’s very hard to see any other way.
Beauty in simplicity
Do you like this photo? I do – I feel it has a certain beauty to it.
It was taken in a restaurant built by the owners themselves. All the cooking was done in a wood oven. Rustic, simple & gorgeous. The seating was informal and it created a simple environment where the focus was us and our conversation over good food.
The photo is nothing more than a paper bag and a tea-light. Simple. Beautiful. It worked wonderfully. It’s an example of simplicity that has stayed with me. Surely simplicity endures just as well as complexity if not better?
I don’t believe our purpose in life is to make things more complex & ugly. I believe our challenge in life is to make things beautifully simple. Don’t you think?
People Performance Potential 
Absolutely! Some of my current anchor words to remind me of my commitments to life are Simplicity, Purity and Devotion (which I also acknowledge may find me wading in Complexity, The Shadows (as I call them!) and sooooo even more Devotion. Great post David. All so simple and yet so expansive. Enchanted writing. Thank you.
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Posted by Natasha aka @StirTheSource | February 27, 2012, 2:27 PM100% agree. Great post Thanks David@Lean_DazzyP LikeReply
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Posted by Darren Payne | February 27, 2012, 5:45 PMInteresting post – different.Really like the simple and creative nature of the paper bag and tea-light. Just like the light in the paper bag, am always amazed by the energy of the simple shift that sometimes leads to breakthrough moments.
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Posted by OHC Solutions | February 27, 2012, 6:35 PMAs an ex production engineer and evangelist of lean thinking in my day, then it is about being simple, and only doing and having things that add value (of course value means lots of different things to us all).So a paper bag and a tea light. Perfect!We currently have sticky large post its as curtains in two rooms. Adds a talking point and decorated at Christmas with felt tips!!Interior designer coming next week to advise on materials etc. Feels like we might be losing something!!!
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Posted by Ian Perry | February 28, 2012, 9:42 AMlove those, natasha, and the post too. just read another one along the same line that you might like as well, http://www.keithjennings.com/2012/02/simple-vs-complex.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+keitharsis+%28Keitharsis+%7C+by+Keith+Jennings%29 vicki 🙂
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Posted by vicki van alstine | February 28, 2012, 5:41 PM