Morning mist on a pond in eastern Missouri. Less is more. Really?
Okay, if you're not into wordplay, you don’t want to read this article. You may have to concentrate a little and who wants that? Just read the title for a quick summary. However, for those who like playing with words, here we go.
I don’t know if it was an ad-man, a philosopher, or a tree-hugger who first said “less is more”. But it is a crock! That’s like saying ‘fat is skinny’, or ‘dumb is smart’. They are not giving you the whole story. They are leaving things out. I saw a Lexus Ad today which stated ‘more is more’. Now that is truth in advertising!
How you should say the phrase is, ‘less fat is more skinny’, or ‘less dumb is more smart’, or ‘less Taco Bell is more healthy’. It’s all about voids!
See the difference?
When something is missing, something else fills the empty space. That’s why some boys join gangs when they haven’t a father to reassure themselves of their maleness. It’s why some girls are easy sexual targets for boys when they haven’t a father - to get the male acceptance they long for, but don’t have.
I can tell you this, less parenting is not more parenting. "But wait”, you say, “some parents are helicopter parents, always hovering over their kids. Wouldn’t less be better?” Yes! But what we are really stating here is ‘less bad parenting is more good parenting’. Continuing:
Okay, if you're not into wordplay, you don’t want to read this article. You may have to concentrate a little and who wants that? Just read the title for a quick summary. However, for those who like playing with words, here we go.
I don’t know if it was an ad-man, a philosopher, or a tree-hugger who first said “less is more”. But it is a crock! That’s like saying ‘fat is skinny’, or ‘dumb is smart’. They are not giving you the whole story. They are leaving things out. I saw a Lexus Ad today which stated ‘more is more’. Now that is truth in advertising!
How you should say the phrase is, ‘less fat is more skinny’, or ‘less dumb is more smart’, or ‘less Taco Bell is more healthy’. It’s all about voids!
See the difference?
When something is missing, something else fills the empty space. That’s why some boys join gangs when they haven’t a father to reassure themselves of their maleness. It’s why some girls are easy sexual targets for boys when they haven’t a father - to get the male acceptance they long for, but don’t have.
I can tell you this, less parenting is not more parenting. "But wait”, you say, “some parents are helicopter parents, always hovering over their kids. Wouldn’t less be better?” Yes! But what we are really stating here is ‘less bad parenting is more good parenting’. Continuing:
- Less love is not more love. ---- Less 'smothering' love is more 'effective' love.
- Less attention is not more attention. ---- Less attention 'on what’s wrong' is, hopefully,more attention 'on what’s right'.
- Less discipline is not more discipline. ---- Less discipline 'may require' more discipline.
- Less time with your kids is not more time with your kids. ----Less time with your kids is more time with your kids 'in the principal’s office (or worse)'.
- “Less bad stuff is more good stuff!” and, of course, vice versa!
- And “Less time spent writing this article is more time to write a better article!” ;)
