当简单成为解决之道当简单成为决之道.doc

When Simplicity Is The Solution At the beginning of Walden, Henry David Thoreau makes a concise case against the complexity of modern life. 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! he writes. [L]et 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. . . . Simplify, simplify. That was the 19th century, though, and we live in the 21st. In a typical day, we encounter dozens -- if not dozens upon dozens -- of moments when we are delayed, frustrated or confused by complexity. Our lives are filled with gadgets we cant use (automatic sprinklers, GPS devices, fancy blenders), instructions we cant follow (labels on medicine bottles, directions for assembling toys or furniture) and forms we cant decipher (tax returns, gym membership contracts, wireless phone bills). Every facet of our lives, even entertainment and recreation, is complicated by an ever-widening array of choices delivered at a frantic pace. Consider: -- More than 800, 000 apps in the Apple App Store -- 240-plus selections on the Cheesecake Factory menu, not including lunch or brunch specials -- 135 mascaras, 437 lotions and 1, 992 fragrances at S In 1980, the typical credit card contract was about 400 words long. Today, many are 20, 000 words. Fine print complexity costs us money in the form of hidden fees (about $900 per year for the average consumer, according to research conducted by the Ponemon Institute), denied claims and unanticipated charges ($2 billion in one year for landline phone customers, according to the Federal Communications Commission). Who has 90 minutes to read 20, 000 words or the time to select a Medicare Part D prescription plan (a Web search on will return 45 plans for you to consider)? Ponder the fact that a dermatologist must s