The short answer is that it depends on your situation. An over-complicated life is bad. But a life that is too simple is not so great either. To understand this, we will start by defining a simple life. We will then look at some advantages of a simple life. We will also look at the major disadvantage. After that, we will look at how to create balance.
What is a simple life?
A simple life is a life that has few if any complications. Complications come in one or both of two general forms:
1. Things you have to do
2. Things you have to think about
For example, life on a farm in the country is far from simple. This is because the farmer has many things to do and think about every day. Also, world leaders have complicated lives. Although they don’t have many physical tasks, they have to consider many things. Otherwise, they would leave terrible legacies or even lose power. So a simple life has relatively few tasks and few things to consider.
Here are the advantages of a simple life.
You have more time to spend with the people you love.
Being with the people you love contributes to happiness. But it can add complications to your life. It’s because you must do certain things to maintain healthy relationships. This can be difficult if not impossible if your life is too complicated. But a simple life allows you to do it with relative ease.
You have more time to do things you enjoy.
If your life is complicated, it is hard enough to find time for all the things you need to do. So it will leave little or no time for the things you want to do. It’s because there are only so many hours in a day. A simpler life will make more hours available to do things you enjoy and to pursue your purpose.
You will have more money for the same income.
Most things that complicate your life will also cost you money. In these cases, reducing the complications will reduce their drain on your wallet. This will help you to save money and will benefit your bank account.
Your life will be more tranquil.
Having fewer things to do means that you have more time to relax. Also, having fewer things to worry about means that you have less stress. Your life will be more tranquil as a result.
Here are the disadvantages of a simple life.
The single biggest disadvantage of an extremely simple life is boredom. The human body and mind need activity to remain healthy. If you never did anything, your body would atrophy. Also, your brain would deteriorate if you never had to think of anything.
How to find a balance
So too much simplicity will cause boredom and atrophy. But too much complication will create a stressful life that prevents enjoyment. This is why we need balance, and there is a way to achieve it.
One way to create balance is to only add complication if it is necessary or if it creates a reward. The reward can be physical, mental, or both. So getting a pet will add complications to your life, but it can add a lot of enjoyment. But if you add complication without any enjoyment, then it becomes an exercise in suffering. So it is best to live a simple life and only add complication if it adds enjoyment.
In summary, a simple life can give you lots of time and even extra money. This allows you to spend more time with the people you love. It will also allow you to do things you enjoy and pursue your purpose. But too much simplicity can lead to boredom and atrophy. The key is to create a balance. You can do this by only adding complications if they add enjoyment to your life.