“Life is easy. People make it complicated.” This was a saying I used a lot when I was in my twenties. Anyone who has watched a crowd will understand the simple logic behind “one person is smart but get a crowd together and that individual intelligence is changed”. Why? Glad you asked. Let’s say I give you a compass and say face east in a uniform manner. Naturally you will look at the compass and face east.  Because there is only one of you, everything is uniform. Easy, right? Now let’s say I give ten people compasses and ask the same thing. Some will turn their whole body east while others will only turn their heads. No so uniform. So which stance is correct and why should others choose that stance over the other. Welcome to group logic. We tend to solve this problem by choosing the majority. If the majority just turned their heads then everyone should follow suit.

What if your compass shows west being east? Of course you face the direction in which your compass shows you. Then you realize you are faced opposing everyone. Do you go with the crowd or do you trust your owe compass? This is a prime example of what happens when our moral compass opposes the majority. Yes, people will look at you and wonder why you aren’t facing their direction. They will also try to help you read your compass only to tell you that its broke. If following our compass brings happiness without harming others, then by all means follow that path. However, if it doesn’t lead to happiness and strife and despair is all that is found, then perhaps we should have it recalibrated. It is possible to have bad morals. But, for the most part, everyone knows what is right and wrong. This does mean “right and wrong” will lead us down different paths. There is an infinite number of choices to make in one life time.  This is why it is important for us not to judge others for their choices in life. We have no right to judge when we are trying to navigate our own lives.

How does this pertain to a simple life? Everyone in the crowd above was given a compass. No one was directed to look at any other compass, nor were they instructed to follow other compasses. In a simple life we keep our nose to our own compass. If that means we face a different direction than others, then so be it. How boring of a life this would be if we all marched to the same beat, or followed the same path. Combine the first blog in this series with part two and things will start to fall into place. NOTE: I never said it would be easy. However, the rewards are great.

Until the next blog, live life, be happy, and find life’s happiness.

at1_retired@yahoo.com

Steve Curtis