Less words but better ones
“Less is more”
is a very well known saying within the design world.
And I’m sure in many other‘s.
Einstein formula for the theory of relativity was not about making things more complex, but actually, simplifying many different concepts into one.
Like Space and time into one.
E=mc2
You know that one.
It’s as “Little” as it needs to be.
It simplifies a complex process.
In a way physics & Math are the subtle art of curating the laws of reality into as little of a definition as possible.
Yet in our everyday lives, We don’t often curate our words so we focus on the essential.
How many words would I need to convey what needs to be conveyed efficiently, powerfully, mindfully, and yet maintain a sense of personality?
I’ve written hundreds of pages on the subjects of religion, spirituality and philosophy for a book project of mine.
I suppose I could just bring the pages together and call it a book.
It’d be a bulky one and I’d look like a prolific author.
But I can’t resolve myself to put out there something that is not as simple as it needs to be.
There are so many books that says so little in so much time.
I would want the exact opposite of that.
A book that says so much with as little words as possible.
And if possible….Use words that are as simple as they need to be.
That’s why for me the Tao Te Ching is such a more potent text amongst the range of spiritual traditions than the bible is.
(I think the Bible is simply more popular because It has been a mandatory reading for a long long time. The Bible is not the most easy to read, easy to comprehend, or entertaining book around. It’s by far one of the dullest I’ve ever read. I only finished it because I didn’t want to die stupid.
The book of revelation is the only entertaining one for me. The rest is rather… Well preachy, dogmatic and plainly boring…
Might be offending to some. But hey, Everyone’s entitled to their opinions!
When I read the Bible, and snoozed so much while reading it, I wondered whether or not our passion for that book is a case of collective unconscious rationalisation for centuries of habits?
Since I know well that It feels safer for our mental wellbeing to keep living a lie than to accept a different reality. Because what new reality would we trade our old one for? We don’t know, and that’s too much of an emotional tradeoff for our minds.
I feel this is what’s going on with it. Because as objective as I try to be, the Bible is not the most profound reading I’ve ever read. Not one bit.)
Parenthesis closed. Even though It was a big one, I thought actually this was a good use of words. Provocative ones. I feel Words that have a profound impact on someone’s psyche are useful words. Especially those who challenge the current ideological status quo.
Which words that are better than other’s?
It’s all contextual.
The best words for a non-fiction writing venture might be the ones that paints the clearest picture in the reader’s mind. But for a poetry effort, It might be the ones that inspires the most. It might be one that triggers the most emotions when It comes to Fiction.
Which words does one need to convey what one’s want?
For sure, If I want to convey ‘clarity’, I need to focus on simple words.
Keep things as simple as they need to be, but not simpler.
And what may be the best agencing of those individual words in order to convey ‘clarity’ as well?
Metaphors.
I found while writing that nothing is as powerful as a good metaphor. Even for non-fiction. Because, a story/metaphor connects that information into something meaningful, relatable, and easy to remember.
That’s what I’d like to aim for. Good short stories that can be remember and re-quoted. And It’s in that sense that the Tao Te Ching is such a beautiful word. It explain life through natural metaphors. Which combines everything into one: Beauty of thoughts, inspiration, clarity yet openness.
When Spring comes, the grass grows by itself.
Lao Tzu
There are so many interpretations of the following sentence. It is both easy to picture. Has simple words. Yet It’s open to many interpretations. It is however an invitation to do some thinking. It is not just regurgitated to you. It’s a unique gift well wrapped. Anyone can extract its own profound meaning from it. The most profound wisdom, is often what is hidden in plain sight.
We don’t fail to see what feels extraordinary. We fail to see what’s extraordinary about what seems mundane.
