When is less actually more?
This has not been fun. It’s been brutal. But it has been, at least, an exercise in that question that the Stoic aficionado Tim Ferriss is a fan of: What would less look like?
Less flights.
Less dinners out.
Less meetings.
Less income.
Less time with friends.
Some of that has been easier to bear than others. Some of it has been sad and lonely, other parts of it have been downright liberating. But the thing about less—why we ask Marcus Aurelius’ version of the question: Is this essential?—is that it also reveal what more looks like.
Because as tough as the last few months have been, it’s also meant:
More sunsets from the back porch.
More dinners at home.
More appreciation for the people and things that matter.
More understanding of the urgency of memento mori.
That’s what Marcus was saying, what Tim was trying to get us to see. When we do less, we get a double benefit. We cut out what is inessential and we do what is essential much, much better.
There are not a lot of redeeming qualities to a pandemic, but we should at least take this lesson from it. We are being taught what less looks like. We are being taught that less can actually be more.
Have a differing perspective or just want to chat about it? You know what to do. : )
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