Less is more

 Interesting heading- I got thinking about it after a comment by a friend. 

Some base fundamental principles first (i can spend multiple posts explaining each point but for this post let’s assume these are the premisses that we hold to be universal true)

Premisses

Want - a want is something one would like to acquire in the future 

Desire- something one would like to acquire in the future and is backed up with a plan on how to accomplish the acquisition. 

I could want the “world” - it means nothing 

I desire to rule the world- now that has something additional to the want. Something more that differentiates between want and desire. 

Thinking- it’s a capacity to use the analytical function of the brain 

Planning - utilising the thinking to try and accomplish a desire

Over thinking - getting stuck in the trees and not looking at the forests 

Rant 

Now then, so many books and philosophical arguments point and say that less is more . What do they mean by it ?  

Less money cannot mean that you have more money. Less of any subject can’t mean you have more of that subject. Less of a subject could for sure mean that you have more or less of another subject. E.g less money could mean lesser perceived joy associated with material objects at the same time lesser money could also mean that there is an increase in mental stability as there is lesser to worry about.  So then the argument could be spun both ways .  Less is more or then less is less : it depends on the point of view ? 

The probable answer is more complex than “a point of view “.  Let’s analyse this

Thinking and getting stuck trying to get to the root cause can and does trip up most folks. There is something that I say in jest to my friends in Hindi; translated “don’t think so much that you drown in your own thoughts “ . Zen masters often have a question that they start with when a student approaches them for help in understanding the world and why it is - they start with “why do you want to know” ; the student then in turn goes away to try and find the answer . When the student returns with a possible answer the master repeats the the answer with a why added and this continues. The idea being that the master is trying to pull the student out of drowning in thoughts- almost asking the student to just be. Experience the world and all life in it without any commentary. 

The same concept is true in ordinary life - people tend to make long drawn out plans (over thinking them in most cases) that run into the future and then aren’t able to adjust to the plans not falling in place resulting in disappointment. Don’t get me wrong;  plans are good and planning helps bring some focus to life. The point however is long drawn out plans running into the far future generally result in disappointment. 

Keep plans short , you have no control over what the next year will bring. Be able to adjust the goals in a short term. 

Essentially less of long planing (less of over thinking) is more possibilities for joy. Short plans allow more corrections and more joy in accomplishing the plans - one is forced to experience the current situation and find joy in whatever it is. More joy is less sadness. Less is more and more is less. 

C