I was watching a cricket Test the other day. A particular bowler was struggling with his bowling and was being hit all over the pitch. One of the commentators really had a go at him and announced that he needed “to keep it simple” – a little phrase I’ve heard over and over again in cricket commentaries. This time there was no response from his colleague, only an awkward silence; then the words, “What do you mean by, simple?” Again an awkward silence, and then a rather hesitant response, “You know, I’m not sure.” I loved his honesty, but I couldn’t help thinking of all those fashionable little phrases we use so glibly without really knowing what they mean.
That’s so true, Don. I wrote complex information systems for a living, eventually managing the department in charge of systems and communication. I reported to our company’s CFO. He used to tell me all the time to “keep it simple” and I just had to shake my head. I could understand not making a system overly complicated, but that was a far cry from simple.
I love that image.
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Thanks Dan. I wonder if the term, “keep it simple” has more to do with our inability to understand things. Just a thought.
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Sadly, you may be right.
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Not familiar with cricket but I do notice those trite phrases sometimes, like the ‘How are you?” followed by “Fine”. Was the questioner really expecting an honest response? And would she really want to hear it? Lovely photo.
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Thanks, Luanne. You’re so right about the question – would you really want to hear it?
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I remember running across the greeting “How do you do?”when I was a child and realising that an answer wasn’t expected. I thought that was hilarious because I took the question literally, as in “how do you do what?” It still brings a smile to my face. English – so many quirks.
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I love that 😉
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