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Why The Simplest Solution to Life’s Problems Might Be Right One
Applying a philosophical principle known as Ockham’s Razor to solve life’s problems
If you’ve ever felt confused about the reasons the way things are — the facts of your life, the state of your relationships, the condition of your health — you know what it’s like to search for answers. And it can sometimes feel like those answers have the elusive quality of a riddle.
This can be especially true if — like me — you think of your life as the consequence of a series of commitments, not all of which agree with each other. You might be a mother or a father, you might also be a creative person or a sociable one, you might also be an ambitious or idealistic person. Not every commitment you make fits neatly into the jigsaw puzzle; sometimes you find yourself forcing the pieces to fit together.
We often turn to complicated and contorted explanations as a way of justifying the way things are, and to even more unreasonable answers in an attempt to iron out our concerns. It is an understandable feeling but it maybe a misguided one. If you’re in a state of uncertainty, have you considered that the right course of action might be the simplest one?
