Complexity is Hard - Jan 11 2022

 

Complexity is Hard

Jan 11 2022

 A simple plan.

Trouble is, events are the opposite,

complex, cascading

unanticipated.

So while the gods are laughing

at our earnest faith, and good intentions

we forge ahead anyway,

improvising

cutting corners

trimming sails.

The best is the enemy of the good, we rationalize;

complexity is hard

and we're impatient.

And in the end, a simple plan

becomes a Rube Goldberg contraption

of spinning wheels

and kludged together fixes;

if it works

we will be impressed ourselves,

and the gods may even nod

their approval.

Can't fail, no-brainer, lookin' great

we cheerlead,

it’s simple as 1 -2 -3.

Forget what happened before,

that was long ago

and I was naive;

this time it's different,

trust me, I know.

I tend to overthink. I'm always attracted to complexity and nuance, as well as suspicious of simplistic solutions: that's the kind of thing we get from rabble-rousing populist politicians, ideologues, and stubborn people who see the world in black and white.

But a simple plan is so inviting, isn't it? And sometimes, complexity can paralyze. And other times, simplifying cuts through all the nonsense and allows you to see clearly, to hone in on the critical thing.

So actually, a complex plan can be no better than a simple one. Perhaps planning -- the illusion of control -- is the basic problem. As the old saying goes: "Man plans; God laughs."