Look long enough at almost anything and simplicity starts becoming complicated.

REFLECTION

WHAT THIS MEANS

Nothing survives sustained attention as a simple thing. A leaf, a word, a habit, a single decision: each dissolves into structure the longer you look, and then that structure has structure. Simplicity is mostly a description of distance. It tells you how far away you are standing rather than anything about the object.

Pick something you regard as obvious and spend twenty minutes looking closely. A common word, a routine at work, an everyday object. The complexity is always there. Finding it is a matter of duration rather than of intelligence, which means it is available to anyone willing to stay longer.

A QUESTION TO SIT WITH

What have you called simple without ever examining it?

MORE IN PERCEPTION & ATTENTION

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