Why is Everything So Complicated?
Simplicity doesn't pay the bills
“in other words, many problems in society come from the interventions of people who sell complicated solutions because that’s what their position and training invite them to do. There is absolutely no gain for someone in such a position to propose something simple: you are rewarded for perception, not results.” (Taleb, 162)
Hard to trust people online these days. Everybody has a solution for your problem. It’s also always only a simple 37 step process that only slightly flips your entire lifestyle upside down.
Classic complicated solutions?
You wanna lose weight? Eat these foods, not those foods, and only sometimes these foods too.
You wanna be happy? Pay a billion dollars to see a therapist every single week for the rest of eternity.
You wanna get a job? Join this mastermind where you learn the 12 step process, network with peers and build your own portfolio of randomness.
How about simple solutions?
Lose weight = restrict calories HOWEVER YOU WANT, and exercise more HOWEVER YOU WANT
Become happy = sit alone with your thoughts more and figure why on earth you’re unhappy
Get a job = know the hiring manager :)
Nobody recommends the bottom because it’s simple. When I offer a simple solution I don’t get as much praise as when I offer a complicated solution. Nobody seems smart when they tell you to eat less and exercise more. But the guy explaining the problem with carbs and seed oils and the virtues of unpasteurized milk sounds smart.
But if you’re a free person, you don’t focus on sounding good, you focus on being good. That includes giving people solutions to HELP THEM, not to convince them they need you because you’re so smart.
The lesson today is two-fold: first, beware people selling complex solutions; second, always offer the simple solution, even at the expense of your appearance.
Question of The Day
What is a piece of advice you give that others never follow? Are you complicating when you should be simplifying?
Your Friend,
Noah BigNerd Sochaczevski