While looking at my TV remote I realized that out of all the functions provided there I have not used about 80% of the functions and also cannot recall as to the function of at least 70% of the buttons provided. Feeling intrigued I checked my mobile phone and again was shocked to learn that I have not used about 90% of the apps pre installed on my phone, but they were there occupying space, memory and making it difficult for me to reach the app I wanted to use. The same was for microwave convection oven, where my wife told me that she has used only three of maximum four functions provided there, but we had spent money to purchase one with lot of function without realizing that we are not going to use most of them. Probably we suffered from confirmation bias.
Research shows that 95% of people do not use 90% of the features on their remote and mobile phones. Instructions for machines, computers, etc, are always written by those who know the system and are not much help to those who do not. I am sure that you have never seen sign on road which says this is not the road to bus stand or railway station. We had 127 laws in our country which govern a business and majority of us cannot list out more than 4 to 5 laws which govern a citizen of this country. Politician often quote Constitution at the drop of their hats but probably cannot even list out the fundamental rights and duties of a citizen which so apply to them.
Life has become so complicated that it is impossible for anyone to remember and follow and to make prudent decisions from the mass of information available. Probably what we will need in future is a skill for knowledge management.
From this complexity comes stress, anxiety, frustration. One of the most annoying things I find is while dealing with machinery (electronic or otherwise), which will not function and do the job for which it was created. I have always thought as to why we make things complicated which end up waste of time, energy, effort and mental agony and there appears to be no justification to make them complex when they can be me simpler. But probably adding things is much simpler than thinking and cutting out the clutter to make it simple. It is like finding a needle in haystack. There is always a possibility that things could be made simpler and things could be done in a simpler way provided we make an effort towards it.
Things do not become simple or by their own or by chance you have to have the drive and passion to making slight changes make things simple. When I tell people that I am the laziest person in this world they laugh at me because they do not understand that by being lazy I always try to do it in a way by which I can do things easily, with less effort, less energy, less time and with less money. This in my opinion there is virtue of being lazy but again one has to make serious effort to become lazy. One cannot make a thing simpler unless one knows the subject very well and here lies a catch. In my opinion an expert is one who has made things simpler by understanding the subject very well and can explain to a person in simple as to what it means or applies by understanding as to what to pay attention to and what to ignore. Left to their own things will automatically become complex or people tend to make them complex in order to show their superior knowledge or understanding. Simplicity does not mean that one has to carry out big changes or fundamental changes but majority of times simplicity can be achieved by simply making slight adjustment in very small things or thinking or way of doing things or perhaps some planning..
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