When I worked in the design field, the idiom ‘less is more’ was often an apt expression. It encouraged concise language and imagery which often produced innovative solutions. However, this did not mean that arriving at an appropriate idea could be easy. Consider the way our mind produces our thoughts. It is suggested that over sixty thousand thoughts arise in a day … most of which are on a repeat loop! So, where do the innovative ideas come from? In my experience, these occur when we are challenged the most.
We don’t have to look far to acknowledge our self-created difficulties that we face currently. The solutions will have to include the ethos of ‘less is more’. For example, consuming less quantities of processed food … instead, opting for more nutritionally potent food. Buying less new products, but choosing to recycle and repair them. Paying less attention to continual low-grade news and entertainment, instead, increasingly attending to our emotional and mental well-being. Perhaps a starting point could be to drop the expectations of material accumulation in order to fulfil our feeling of inner emptiness. Isn’t it our individual obligation to make the appropriate changes? This would champion seeking quality over quantity and a peaceful and fulfilled existence.
Separating wheat from its chafe, is an activity that helps to de-clutter, simplify and remove the surface camouflage. Once we take on these habits, it becomes easier to see the value of what we already have. The ordinary starts to appear extra-ordinary, because there is more surrounding space to appreciate it, (like an object in an art gallery). The positive possibilities are endless. However, it requires us to come on board to a different way of thinking… then, less becomes more!
Blinding Truths 