The Complications of Man

A Common Belief

It is a common belief of man, especially of our post-modern culture, that for something to have great value or “sophistication” it must be complicated. Consider how complicated most technological devices are or how complicated government bureaucracies become. Ask a philosopher to explain the meaning of life in 1000 words or less. The reality is that, in many cases, the “simple” answer or solution is never enough.

Simple is Better

It is important to state that many things are necessarily complicated. Our own bodies are extremely complicated machines, as is the universe that we live in. God’s ability to create and to maintain the vastness of creation is beyond human comprehension. But in terms of the human condition, and especially how we live our lives, it would seem the “simpler” answers are the best.

Consider the meaning of life. While the philosophers and theorists would wax eloquent about various aspects of existence, morality, meta-physicality, etc. the Christian could answer with the same summation Christ made of the Law of Moses: Love God and love your neighbor (cf. Mat. 22:37-39; et al.). Of course, the thinkers of the world would not accept this for several reasons, but primarily among them is that the Christian’s answer has a certain “simplicity.”

They might answer: to choose to serve God is to assume He exists, that such a choice is necessary for every person, to not consider the socio-political ramifications, to take a boorish and universalist approach to morality, etc. blah, blah, blah. One wonders that at the very root of such complaint is the impression by man that God’s commands and promise are just “too simple.”

Man Makes Things Worse

This might assume too much, but consider just how more complicated man causes his life to become when he leaves the command of God. When he chooses “what [is] right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25, NASU) he finds life is out of control. When he embraces the empty promise of sin, he must face unforeseen consequences.

The truth is, the command to love both God and our fellow man is not “simple”; it requires introspection, moral understanding, and a heart willing and ready to serve. But in comparison with the philosophy of the world, it would seem that man’s ideas are needlessly complicated.