“Complexity requires investing energy to go beyond entropy, the universal law of inertia and decay, and beyond the social programming that keeps us on a narrow track”
— Mihaly Csíkszentmihalyi
Simplified Meaning:
When things get complicated, it means that we need to put in extra effort to keep everything in order. If we don't, things naturally tend to fall apart or don't progress, kind of like how a room gets messy if no one cleans it. This idea is similar to how people often stick to routines or habits because that's the easiest path to follow, even if it doesn't lead to the best outcomes. For example, if someone wants to learn a new skill like playing the guitar, it takes practice and energy to improve rather than just doing the same basic chords over and over again. To do better in life, it's important to push ourselves beyond just doing what we've always done or what everyone else does. By investing that extra energy, we can create something better for ourselves and break free from our regular patterns.
