“I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
This is exactly how I feel about my study of the gospel. It typically goes: simplicity > complexity > simplicity, which I think also correlates with Fowler’s stages of faith, namely: stage 3 > stage 4 > stage 5. I’m thrilled now when I discover complexity because it means that there is something really cool along and at the end of that path. When your simple box falls apart into a complex jumble of pieces, don’t despair, you’ve discovered a path to treasure!
This happened last night when I realized that there were multiple connections between Alma 33 and 37. My brain started going nuts and I took down many notes. It was late though and so I reluctantly put it on hold because I knew I’d be there for hours, I needed my sleep, and because I’ve learned to not trust any of my decisions past 10 pm.
That will be a future blog post for sure – as soon as I navigate through all the complexity I’ve discovered; I can’t wait!