On subtracting instead of adding
As you age, you tend to accumulate vast amounts of mental garbage. You might believe this helps you better understand yourself and the world, reduces your existential anxiety, boosts your appeal to potential partners, and more.
After years of stockpiling all this garbage, you step into a helicopter and take off. The view from above is incredible, you think. Your pile of garbage has grown into a mountain. No wonder you couldn't find your glasses the other day.
At some point, you may decide to take action. You begin to recognize the wisdom found in childhood—that simplicity of experiences and thoughts. You might find the courage to dismantle your mountain of mental garbage, piece by piece. Though it may be a long journey, it's likely worth the time it takes to return to your essence and finally see the ground beneath.
Eventually, you reach a point where you question whether accumulating more—thoughts, people, possessions, food—is truly worthwhile. Perhaps it's time to stop collecting garbage. This shift can begin in one area of life before naturally spreading to others.
You may feel overwhelmed at work, unable to take on additional tasks—so you decide to subtract instead of add. You may realize you've been overcomplicating the software you're building and choose to simplify rather than expand. You may find yourself tangled in complex, twisted explanations for events, and decide to return to their essence (see Occam's razor). Simple, yet true. Truth is the only authority, and it's often simpler than you think.