What, then, would this simplicity be? Simplicity is a Christian virtue that affirms that the human being was created by God to walk the path of good. If we think that we have the wonderful privilege of being alive and that everything we are only depends on our choices, there is no doubt: the path to human happiness is simplicity. Therefore, simplicity is the way human beings face the problems of life, the way of being, of living.
The way human beings respond to the problems of existence ends up determining their way of being in the world: whether positively or negatively. However, it is worth remembering that determinism does not fully explain life, it only explains a part of it. The other part, which is spontaneous, non-linear, is constructed by the subjective action of the person. Thus, the external action of the human being is a reflection of what he is internally.
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Take the example of Socrates, the great Greek philosopher, the father of philosophy, of anthropology, of Western ethics. Upon learning that he was the wisest man in Greece, he undertook, on his own, an opinion poll among those who thought they were wise and soon concluded that yes, that he was the wisest man in that region because he was humble, simple , devoid of arrogance. Thus, Socrates left to philosophy humility as the main method of philosophizing, of knowledge, of science.
Also the first philosophers, the so-called naturalist philosophers, claimed that wisdom resides in the way man lives life. For them, nature provided the explanations for all things. In dialogue with their students, these philosophers taught that everything that exists in the Universe has an “essence”. In philosophy, essence is what constitutes being. For example, the essence of a plant is to be a vegetable and not an animal, and vice versa. In this way, the first philosophers taught that the simpler an answer is, the closer it is to the truth.
And what do theologians say about simplicity? For them, simplicity is the way the Christian practices biblical teachings, as we read in Matthew 6:26: “Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feeds them. Are ye not much better than they?" In theological discourse, the simple human being is the one who lives life according to the commandments of the Law of God.
For many philosophers, simplicity is not just a human virtue, but a philosophical category. As a philosophy, simplicity starts from the following argument: an answer, whatever it is, about whatever problem it is, must be clear. Clarity must be such that anyone understands it, regardless of the degree of training, that is, whether they are educated or illiterate. Therefore, in philosophy, it is often said that the simpler an explanation is, so that everyone can understand what is being explained, the closer it will be to the truth. In short, simplicity in philosophy is consensus, objectivity, truth!
Of course, things are never that simple. There is a natural complication in all things. Nature is mysterious. She has her charms, mysteries, secrets. To penetrate them, it takes a lot of dedication, love, observation, patience, ethics... However, we are absolutely certain that the path to success and happiness, both personally and professionally, is simplicity. Let us therefore seek simplicity in all our actions, in what we think, do, are and want. So be it, now, today and forever!
