K-I-S-S: Keep It Simple Stupid – a Valentine’s Day acronym

University education is funny. Throughout your undergraduate degree, you are constantly taught the importance of critical thinking and how necessary it is to analyze information and break it down into simplistic terms; but, you’re also presented with large existential questions that make your brain want to explode and cry all at the same time. So while you need to think critically about what was presented, all you can ponder is, “how on earth did I get into post-secondary education with having the IQ of a potato” in comparison to the academic minds surrounding you. This has shattered your ability to brain anything and left you not knowing what it is that you know you know.. Y’know?

Although I tease (sorta), this past week I have humbly been reminded of the importance of keeping my explanations and knowledge as basic as possible within the complexity of academia. In classes such as Philosophy, it’s very easy for my mind to get swept up in the current of questioning everything and “getting to the essence” of meaning. I thoroughly enjoy listening to my professor convey large, transcendent questions from historical philosophers, but the discussions soon begin to lose meaning simply because people have thought themselves into oblivion and they no longer stand on any firm ground.

While I occasionally enjoy taking part in discussions, I am confident that most of my peers could run circles around me with their intelligence and discourse; however, I’ve always been a straight-shooter and I don’t like to posture with fanciful wording when in conversation. With that said, while watching my siblings pursue careers in the emergency services, one of the countless acronyms they have learned is, “K-I-S-S.. Keep It Simple Stupid”. This does not suggest stupidity or a lack of ability; rather, it’s a reminder of the dangers of thinking “too big” and to avoid the questions that leave a person spinning in a whirlpool with no tether to hold them securely in place.

So while the waves of university can get big and daunting, don’t forget to “K-I-S-S” and keep your head above water.

Happy Valentine’s Day Week!