What does simplicity have to do with wisdom?

Question:I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures...Lao Tzu.

Thank you for your comments!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures...Lao Tzu.

Thank you for your comments!

Ah, the simple things in life are at your feet begging for the taking -- Chuy (me).

I grew up in a small town, Pecos Texas. Life there was simple. Everyone was kind, respectful and helped each other whenever possible. We knew when our rights CROSSED into the other person's personal area and we had the wisdom, thanks to the teachings from our parents, to back off and say "I'm sorry" or "excuse me for crossing the line".

Today, people seem in a hurry to go through life. Everything must "make a statement" to be worthwhile. Rubbish.

When something can be done simply, do it. It may not get you 15 minutes on the local T.V. but it will certainly GET THE JOB done! No stress. No hassel. No problem. That's all. My grandpa taught me to KISS life.

I was a young pup and did not understood what he meant until years later. He told me when I die, your grand mother will give you something that is from me to you. One of the things in his "departing letter" was the meaning of KISS --- Keep It Simple Son.

Wisdom is KNOWING when simplicity is the best answer or course of action. Remember the ole cliche? God give me strength to ACCEPT the things I can NOT change and COURAGE to change the things I CAN and WISDOM to know the difference. Remember that one? I pray that every morning as I hope both feet hit the floor as I climb out of bed.

Hope you begin praying it too. It does wonders for me.

Oh, I love this quote!
-With simplicity you are able to reach into the core of things. The more simple something is, the easier it is to understand, and usually it is in its' purest form.
Using simplicity to gain wisdom is quite simple. It's just like when people say they want to take a walk to clear their heads. It's just being alone, or being in nature instead of the hustle and bustle of life, gives you wisdom to know and understand yourself.
-Patience allows you to take the time to see things clearly, and understand them better. Which obviously also leads to wisdom.
-Compassion is like love for everything and everyone. It's putting yourself in someone else's place and having empathy and understanding. It is also a core element to overall wisdom.

And those are my comments. =)

Astronomy is a prime example. Ptolemy worked from the basic theory that everything circled the earth. As observations of the Sun and planets got better, people had to add more, and more layers, of epicycles to keep all the motions placed on perfect circles with us at the center.

Kepler came along with a simpler idea - put the Sun in the middle, and use ellipses instead of circles.

A great deal of modern science goes along these lines. A simple, elegant solution is more nearly correct than adding patches and bandages to an older solution.

And Lao Tzu would have recognized this way of looking at the world too.

simplicity nutures wisdom and vice versa life is too short to make it complex the more simple it is the more easy it is and you have time to show compassion brought about living patiencely isnt that simple

Any intelligent person can come up with a complicated theory.
It takes a genius to make something simple.