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Simplify (an Aside)

March 7, 2015

The lesson [Henry David Thoreau] taught himself, and which he tried to teach others, was summed up in the one word “Simplify.”

—Joseph Wood Kutch, from his introduction to
Walden and other Writings by Henry David Thoreau

This is spot-on — this single word “simplify” counts as a summary of Thoreau’s thoughts and is not an actual quote. The exact exhortation from Thoreau is, “Simplify, simplify.” Which he precedes with the matching declaration: “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!”

“Our life is frittered away by detail. An honest man has hardly need to count more than his ten fingers, or in extreme cases he may add his ten toes, and lump the rest. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb nail. In the midst of this chopping sea of civilized life, such are the clouds and storms and quicksands and thousand-and-one items to be allowed for, that a man has to live, if he would not founder and go to the bottom and not make his port at all, by dead reckoning, and he must be a great calculator indeed who succeeds. Simplify, simplify.

It almost seems a joke, his repetition: “Simplify, simplify.” Why not simply, Simplify? And instead of “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!” why not only Simplicity!

Granted, this may only seem a joke when refracted through the lens of our current age. After all, in our nowadays life of less-is-more tweeted abbreviations, such repetition seems unnecessary. A superfluous, decorative injection of complexity into a straightforward message. Why not get to the point, cut to the chase, and say what one means?

Which raises the obvious question: what exactly does Thoreau mean? Simplify, simplify. As a summary of his thoughts, does this line compute? Yes, he does rail and rally against the “dross” and “gossip” of his day, as well as the general public’s fascination with (and submission to) it. He marks his ballot opposite extraneous property and speed. He casts his vote against extravagance and frills:

“Most of the luxuries, and many of the so called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind.

“I also have in my mind the seemingly wealthy, but most impoverished class of all, who have so accumulated dross, but know not how to use it, or get rid of it, and thus have forged their own golden or silver fetters.

“Shall we always study to obtain more of these things, and not sometimes to be content with less?

But these are mere complaints, not solutions. What does Thoreau vote for? As it turns out, yes: sometimes, somewhat the simple:

“...let [men] make riches the means and not the end of existence, and we shall hear no more of the commercial spirit.

“Though the view from my door was still more contracted, I did not feel crowded or confined in the least. There was pasture enough for my imagination.

“In short, I am convinced, both by faith and experience, that to maintain one’s self on this earth is not a hardship but a pastime, if we will live simply and wisely; as the pursuits of the simpler nations are still the sports of the artificial. It is not necessary that a man should earn his living by the sweat of his brow, unless he sweats easier than I do.

And from such practice, Thoreau’s goal: miniature understanding coupled with grand appreciation.

“...this curious world which we inhabit is more wonderful than it is convenient; more beautiful than it is useful; it is more to be admired and enjoyed than used.

“To anticipate, not the sunrise and the dawn merely, but, if possible, Nature herself!

“For the most part we allow only outlying and transient circumstances to make our occasions. They are, in fact, the cause of our distractions. Next to us the grandest laws are continually being executed. Next to us is not the workman whom we have hired, with whom we love so well to talk, but the workman whose work we are.

So it would seem, simplicity with a purpose. Simplicity well-pursued and well-executed. But also pursued and executed with deliberate repetition:

“Follow your genius closely enough, and it will not fail to show you a fresh prospect every hour.

“We should come home from far, from adventures, and perils, and discoveries every day, with new experience and character.

“Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and may I say innocence, with Nature herself.

So perhaps what Thoreau means is not in fact simply Simplify, but truly: “Simplify, simplify.” Simplify once, then simplify again. A goal to be achieved but then achieved once more. And once more. After every waking, before every sleep: simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!

“They say that characters were engraven on the bathing tub of king Tching-thang to this effect: “Renew thyself completely each day; do it again, and again, and forever again.” I can understand that.

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