Complexity of Definitions

Life is complicated. That is what most people think, but in reality, life is very simple. It is much simpler than any of us could possibly conceive. Why am I making that statement? Well, mostly because it is true, but more so because it has been proven by all religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Islam, Christianity and various other branches of these religions. People who managed to understand those religions actually reached enlightenment, peace within and happiness. But then, why are there so many people still unhappy, still crying day to day, still suffering? I have a partial answer to that. Of course, I am not going to discuss political or socioeconomic reasons right now, but I will try uncovering small part of it – definitions.

Language

If we are talking about definitions then we are talking about language. I, personally, think that language is one of the most imperfect communication tools that have ever evolved. Have you ever caught yourself arguing to a friend about a certain issue only to discover later that you are not arguing after all? Both of you were just using different words to make the same point, which made you think that you were making an opposing point. It sad, but true that most people get hung up on words and don’t look for the meaning. Even this attempt of mine to explain why definitions are so crucial to our happiness and simplicity in life is biased because I am using words to express my opinions. Every word that I type is representing very different meaning to all of us; there is no absolute meaning to any of the words that I use. First of all, one has to understand that I am using ENGLSIH language to communicate my thoughts, which is not my primary language. Second, any of my imperfectly used words have different meanings to any of you reading this post.

Simplicity in Life

So how does that relate to simplicity in life? Well, if everybody had that same exact understand of every single word, which only is a symbol repressing an idea, then there would be no problems or they would be greatly reduced. The problem arises due to different backgrounds, communities, traditions or even countries from which we come from. If globalization did not exist and people lived in perfectly secluded communities then those peoples live would be much easier. However, even then gaps in generations exist, which cause the young and the old to misunderstand each other. But once you add globalization and information flow, it makes everything way more complicated than it should be.

For example, you might think that various people have the same for love. But I do not believe that it exists. Culture to culture, country to country, person to person that definition is different. One person saying “I love you” to another person might not actually convey the same meaning as the party is expecting. Right there you can see a huge personal conflict. Can you imagine those two people getting married? It might end up with a disaster and huge emotional scar.

Complexity

The problem is when people expect other people to have the same definitions as they do. Not having a universal definition for important concepts, leaves them open for interpretation and then people can take advantage of that. That in turn might cause an illusion that two parties agree on something, when in reality they have two different agendas. And that is just a recipe for trouble and unhappiness. Another great examples are the used and abused definitions of words such as race, nationality or religion. In today’s politics anybody is able to twist and turn those and redefine those words anyway they want and still get away with it. Is race just skin color? Or is it culture? Or is it mixture of the two?

So how do we avoid those misunderstandings and make our life simpler? Well, ironically you have talk more and get more information and understand the definition of the definitions. But then once again, having respect for people who you cannot reach a mutual understanding with is crucial. But I will leave that for the next time.