A picture is worth a thousand words.How about a video-a million words? Well,a painting of sunflowers was bought by a Japanese collector a few years ago for USD45million!It is crazy,isn't it?To me,at least.However,there is only one explaination-Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder,especially those who have cash to spare...
During my business trip to Tokyo in 1987(about 12 years ago),I stayed at a hotel with a beautiful water garden nearby-with cascading water in a small stream full of goldfish.After the seminar,I took some time off just to be there to enjoy and savour its serenity and beauty.To my mind ,this is a reflection of heaven on earth!I was so absorbed watching red goldfish swimming in the stream that I did not realise a group of Japanese hotel guests were crowding at one corner of the garden looking at an old granite stone surrounded by grey and white pebbles.I had passed through this place before,but I did not see anything interesting at all.To satisfy my curiousity,I went to that corner garden for the second time to see whether I miss anything.Still I could not understand what really attracted even the Japanese people to this 'stupid' corner where what I could see was only a rock surrounded by pebbles.
During one coffee break,I managed to ask a Japanese colleague about what puzzled me for the past few days-the rock and the pebbles.To my surprise,I was told that the SIMPLE arrangement of the rock and the pebbles itself is THE BEAUTY.Simplicity is beauty.May be,it is like mathematics.There is beauty in simple solutions to complex problems.Oh God,we always miss the obvious.The obvious always manifests itself that we do not feel its presence.
A four letter word says it all:K.I.S.S-Keep It Simple,Stupid.
This is one lesson that I learned from a 'stupid' Japanese garden.It is one lesson that I wish to remember all the time.Keep it simple all the time in everything.However in real life,things can get complicated either by design or coincidence.As we progress from the agricultural revolution to industrial revolution and now to Information revolution,more laws and rules have to be legislated in our political,economic and social life.By the 21st century, our life will be more complex and complicated.Personally,to-day lifestyle is already quite complicated for ordinary people.The coming of the globalisation and borderless world will make it worse to manage.Just look at the speed of damage done to our economy by the current financial crisis facing Asean countries.It took decades to build up the economy and yet,within weeks,one neighbouring country is now on the verse of chaos.
For those who used to travel to foreign lands,they will appreciate simple immigration procedures in European countries as compared to USA,Japan,Saudi Arabia etc.And yet,some countries chose to make it complicated.There are many other examples that affect our life.some are created by others but some are created by ourselves.Just think why they have to be complex and complicated?. May be it is easier to make it complicated and difficult to make it simple.
When you write,keep it simple and easy to read and understand,says an editor friend of mine from Utusan group.It is a sage advice that must be followed by beginners like me.I think it may be similar to golf.It is quite difficult to have a really good hit for beginners,but you when you did it-the sound of the impact between the ball and the iron or wood will tell you.You know it and the feeling is great!
I think there is a way to be simple even in a complicated world.It is actually our personal choice.It begins from our hearts.Just live a simple life.The question is what is a simple life?
Go back to our 'fitrah'.Period.
Others are against human nature itself.