As a tribe, we are obsessed with the concept of more. More stuff, more food, more of this, more of that..even as we write, the default is how do we add more words to create impact and impression.
‘ Thank you so much’ is easily replaceable with ‘Thank you’. ‘ It is very good ‘ can find comfortable solace in ‘ It is good ‘. ‘ It is extremely hot ‘ can sound as cool when you say ‘ It is hot ‘.
By design and habit, we over index to more in the belief that it will drive home the point and enable engagement. In a culture obsessed with adding, less but better seems out of sync.
We, as people, systematically overlook subtractive changes, instead following our instincts to add. There is nothing inherently wrong with adding. In the culture of the day, people like us, do things like this. But if it becomes a default path to improvement, that may be failing to consider a whole class of other opportunities. So, more is NOT equal to better, more often than not.
Don’t mind the contradiction- in a world where we are oversold the value of more and undersold the value of less, its time to stop missing the wood for the trees and soak in the abundance of less.
A syndrome fanned by our reluctance to look up from our ledger of lack as we seek perennial validation in this Republic of Not Enough.