Pondering: I’m Simple, Yes, But Also Complex

I wrote recently about simple math vs complex math and how I enjoy thinking, albeit in an organized fashion. That’s been in my craw for a few days. I’m a complex thinker who can rethink data and come up with vaguely different answers each time, but I prefer the simple path of 1 + 2 = 3…

Several songs from singers and voices I enjoy come to mind, such as discussing life as a Simple Man or wanting a Simple Love. Then I read an article talking about how the human brain is so complex that AI will never be a real challenge to results…if we only use our whole brain.

I realize how complex my brain is when planning a trip or driving to a destination. I’m always analyzing side excursions or workarounds should something happen ahead of me that may give me pause to consider where I am, the timing of the trip, and other options.

Some of my best analytical time comes when I’m doing a task that brings joy so I can aimlessly be involved, but my subconscious mind is colluding with my conscious moment and pondering the situation.

This morning, I took note that my brain is always on and best used in emergent situations where there is no clear answer. “Put your thinking cap on…” says a second-grade teacher. “Watch him think…” says my kids as I play through Trivial Pursuit to a most probable win.

Analytical skills are developed when you put your mind to work!

Go back a few hundred years and imagine what it was like to research. Asking questions by letters to a professor or mentor or trekking to the library during open hours to pour through piles of data books scouring for a clue.

We have it so much easier. Just Google it.

Just because the Internet says one thing doesn’t mean it’s true or right. We still need to verify, cross-check, and determine what’s good and bad, right and wrong, and then how to respond with knowledge.

I come to my crossroads of thought and consider examples from the bible.

Jesus says, “The words I speak are Spirit and Life…” (John 6:63). How long does it take for our reputation as a thinker and speaker to get us to the point where people listen to what we have to say? This frustrates me, at times, though I speak the truth, people still won’t hear. Paul told Festus, “…(I) speak forth the words of truth and soberness.” (Acts 26:25)

Remember. We mostly listen and plan our response more than we process the words we hear that lead us to the truth. Our complex minds cannot help but churn the data, and we cannot help but respond with our understanding. Response is often deemed more important than understanding. To us, it may be the truth, but is it right? Or is it opinion? (IMHO) Does it need a response, or should I ponder it in my heart for a while like Mary did? (Luke 2:19)

That word… Ponder. Think about it deeply. It’s only used 6 times in the NT, and only this once translated as Ponder. In other places, it talks about a king thinking if he is ready for war, meeting someone on the path of life, or helping to find a solution.

In the OT, the original Hebrew word shows up only 6 times. It’s translated twice to be “Ponder,” but in other places, it’s talking about weighing our thoughts before putting anything into action.

It sounds like the OT and NT are in concert.

In other words, it’s a slow process of thinking. Or, as a pastor in my past is famous for saying, “Let’s let it perc…” or as the vernacular of a slow-cooked meal (Crock Pot), “Let it stew for a while.” In other words, take a tough situation and think it through until a good solution is reached.

Modern times have made us to be fast reactors. That’s not always a good place to be. I think an analytical mind who can make quantum leaps to results still needs to remember that we are simple yet complex, so take your time deciding.