***When looking at the vastness of the cosmos, either through a telescope or a microscope, it is easy to get lost in the complexity all that is. Similarly, when we look at complex systems and patterns in our lives we can also feel overwhelmed by all of the interactions, relationships and details that appear to make analysis and understanding very challenging or impossible.***

*As a system architect/analyst/engineer I am trained to work with very complex problems and produce optimal designs and action plans, so it has been absolutely necessary for me to understand how to handle complexity effectively. Thankfully, the solution to making things simple is - simple!*

![chalkboard](http://blog.nextit.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/defending-complexity.jpg)

### From simple patterns can arise great complexity

---

Take a look at this video of an expert artist 'doodling' with an ink pen - the simplest ideas and patterns are combined and repeated in intelligent ways to create beautifully complex, yet also simple, artwork:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrJRgoNsIdU

Many people when presented with the finished artwork will just see complexity and think 'I could never do that' - but others will see instead the simplicity that underlies the complexity and they might think 'I could do that if I wanted to'. In many cases, the difference between someone who is thought of as a 'genius' and everyone else is just that the 'genius' never disbelieved in their ability and kept their focus - plus, importantly, they didn't use their powerful mind to think *'this is too complicated for me to achieve'.*

Just look at our written languages if you want to see this principle working effortlessly all around us. While the english language is based on only 26 letters, which are simple to remember and write - they can be used in an infinite number of complex ways to create the rich tapestry of words and writings that we know and love. We don't teach children to read by starting them off reading a giant book - instead we teach them the basic and simple letter patterns that the language is based on.

It is through learning to notice and understand the most simple patterns that underlie experiences in life that we can come to understand the greatest complexity in life too.

### How To Simplify Anything

---

1. **Identify the 'Entities' that make up the 'thing' you are seeking to simplify**. Entities, in this context, are just identifiable 'sub-things'/parts that combine to the create the 'thing' you are looking at. For example, in the line drawing video, the entities might be: 'the artist', 'the paper', 'the pen' and 'the drawing'.

2. **Examine each entity and identify how to create further 'sub-entities' from that main entity**. So, the pen could be broken down into: 'the ink', 'the type of tip' & 'the case'.

3. **Repeat this process until you have a complete overview 'tree' that maps out all of the relevant parts of the entities that you are exploring**. In the example of the line art in the video, I imagine that the artist and the drawing will have the biggest 'trees'.

4. **Examine each of the entities/sub-entities and identify noticeable/measurable facts about them** - essentially, you are learning all about the small details of the relatively small 'thing' in question... So you might look at how quickly the ink flows in a pen, for example and note that down - or you might examine the geometry of a line drawing of a small leaf, that can be replicated to create great complexity. The point is to fully understand as much as possible about the 'things' involved, but having broken them down into small, manageable pieces ***that still make sense in their own right - when viewed alone***.

5. **Define how each of the entities interact and how they relate to each other.** This is a very important step since although it is simple to say 'The pen draws ink on the paper' - what is also occurring is that 'as the ink changes on the page, the artist's thoughts and emotions evolve and play with the evolving drawing' - which is a relationship that demands a great deal of understanding to define accurately, yet it can be done.


By applying this same system of simplification to everything that is involved, with persistence the only possible outcome is total understanding of the whole 'thing'.

### Don't Over Complicate!
---
You might very well find that the majority of the complexity, that was previously believed to be a problem, actually originated only from your own perception of the situation! Rather than truly seeing something 'hugely complex' you may have only been able to see your own definition that the thing was complex - giving the illusion of complexity that seemed very real. When we let go of our definition of complexity, we allow our mind to instead adapt to finding the simplicity involved and the situation is made much easier to approach.

Rather than seeing complexity, see instead *'a lot of simplicity that you haven't fully examined and thought about yet*'. ;)

The power of breaking down the seemingly complex into a complete set of smaller pieces, is impossible to overstate - it really is an unavoidable part of the journey towards beauty, balance and success!



Wishing you well,
Ura Soul

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