That phrase has been echoing for me since reading a thoughtful piece by Ryan Delaney—a fellow traveler who writes with clarity, presence, and grounded wisdom. His recent post explores simplicity, complexity, and the subtle, accumulating cost of saying yes too often.
He reminds us that complexity doesn’t just drain our time—it fractures our attention. It’s seductive because it masquerades as progress. But in truth, it obscures what matters.
“We all say we want a simpler life—but our behavior tells a different story.”
“Complexity is seductive. It promises pleasure or possibility, but it also burdens us with more to manage.”
These lines struck something deep. Not just because they’re true, but because they reveal how easy it is to drift from clarity without realizing it. In a world that rewards motion, stillness can feel like resistance. But it’s not. It’s power.
At Spiral Bridge, we’ve been exploring this in a different way—through the lens of energetic bandwidth, soul inquiry, and what we call the third field. But the message is the same:
Simplicity is not absence. It’s presence, amplified.
It’s where the real knowing lives.
It’s where your soul speaks without interference.
Ryan’s work reminded me that saying no to complexity is not deprivation—it’s devotion. A reclamation of space. A quiet act of rebellion in a world of noise.
We are more powerful in stillness.
And the stillness is calling many of us home.
You can read Ryan Delaney’s original piece, The Myth of More, on his Substack:
Thank you Patrick. I really look forward to you ongoing posts and insights. I wish you well on your Substack journey.
Love this. Speed and stillness in competition, or balance? Building that balance is a rewarding endeavor.