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Once upon a time, in a quiet mountain village lived a humble stonecutter named Taro. Every day, Taro would shape rocks into bricks and tiles.
从前，在一个安静的山村里住着一位名叫太郎的谦逊石匠。太郎每天都会把石头打成砖块和瓦片。
He was content with his simple life and found joy in his craft. One day, a group of wealthy merchants passed by.
他满足于简单的生活，并从他的手艺中找到了乐趣。有一天，一群富商路过。
Envious of these people, who seemed much better off than him, Taro wished to be like them. His wish swiftly came true to his surprise, so he became a wealthy merchant.
太郎羡慕这些看起来比他富裕得多的人，希望自己也能像他们一样。他的愿望很快就实现了，令他惊讶的是，他成为了一名富商。
Yet, soon he realized his newly acquired material wealth wasn't enough. He wasn't happy. Desiring more, he wished to become a powerful prince.
然而，他很快意识到自己新获得的物质财富还不够。他并不快乐。他想要更多，希望成为一个强大的王子。
Again, his wish was granted, but he didn't find satisfaction in his new position.
他的愿望再次实现，但他对新地位并不满意。
In perpetual discontent, Taro wished to become the sun unaffected by the heat, then clouds undaunted by the sun, and finally a mighty mountain that withstands wind and rain from the clouds.
太郎永远不满足，希望成为不受炎热影响的太阳，然后成为不畏太阳的云，最后成为一座能抵御云层风雨的雄伟大山。
But soon enough, a stone-cutter started chipping away at him and he realized that even mountains could be diminished, and no amount of power could make him untouched by fate.
但很快，一个石匠开始凿他，他意识到即使是山峰也会被削去，再多的力量也无法让他免受命运的影响。
His tiring, complicated pursuit of satisfying all these desires got him nowhere. And so, he wished to revert to his simple existence as a stone-cutter.
他为了满足所有这些欲望而进行的艰苦而复杂的追求，却一无所获。因此，他希望回到石匠的简单生活中。
Simplicity is the quality of being uncomplicated, which is beneficial in many areas.
简单是一种不复杂的品质，在许多方面都有好处。
By being simple, whether in our thinking, desires, or how we arrange our stuff and furnish our living spaces,
通过保持简单，无论是在我们的思维、欲望，还是我们如何安排东西和布置生活空间方面，
we can declutter our minds and focus on what truly matters—leading to clarity, peace, and fulfillment in our lives.
我们都可以清理思绪，专注于真正重要的事情——从而让我们的生活变得清晰、平静和充实。
Moreover, simplicity may offer the most effective response in a world overwhelmed by consumerism and ambition and the discontent and eventual burnout that follow from this.
此外，在一个被消费主义和野心压倒的世界里，以及由此产生的不满和最终的倦怠，简单可能是最有效的应对方式。
This video explores the priceless benefits of being simple and why simplicity is power. If you want to help keep us going, support us on Patreon.
这段视频探讨了简单的无价好处，以及为什么简单就是力量。如果您想帮助我们继续前进，请在Patreon上支持我们。
You'll get access to all Einzelganger videos ad-free. If you enjoy reading, check out my books on Amazon. Your support fuels this channel. Thank you.
您将可以无广告地观看所有Einzelganger视频。如果您喜欢阅读，请在亚马逊上查看我的书籍。您的支持为这个频道提供了动力。谢谢。
The first benefit is… Inner peace and mental clarity. Many years ago, I had two guinea pigs as pets.
第一个好处是……内心的平静和思维的清晰。很多年前，我养了两只豚鼠作为宠物。
From what I remember, they ate and crapped a lot, so their cage needed to be cleaned regularly.
据我所知，它们吃得很多，拉得也很多，所以它们的笼子需要定期清洗。
But at some point, out of forgetfulness, I was late cleaning their little home and found these animals quiet and withdrawn.
但有一天，由于健忘，我打扫它们的小家时很晚，发现这些动物很安静，很孤僻。
So, I quickly cleaned the cage and put in some fresh pine shavings and hay.
于是，我迅速清理了笼子，放了一些新鲜的松木屑和干草。
After I put the guinea pigs back, they were ecstatic and ran and jumped around as if they just won the lottery.
在我把豚鼠放回去后，它们欣喜若狂，像中了彩票一样跑来跑去。
As I started to pay attention to their behavior, I noticed that every time I tidied up their living environment, their mood shifted positively.
当我开始关注它们的行为时，我注意到每次我整理它们的生活环境时，它们的情绪都会积极地转变。
I realized these little animals aren't so different from humans in this regard, as the degree of tidiness of our direct surroundings directly impacts our moods.
我意识到这些小动物在这方面与人类并没有太大不同，因为我们周围环境的整洁程度直接影响我们的情绪。
Scientific evidence supports this claim. For example, a study from Princeton University shows that clutter can reduce our ability to focus on a task.
科学证据支持这一说法。例如，普林斯顿大学的一项研究表明，杂乱会降低我们专注于任务的能力。
Researchers from UCLA's Center on Everyday Lives and Families found a link between high cortisol and the number of household objects.
加州大学洛杉矶分校日常生活和家庭中心的研究人员发现高皮质醇和家居用品数量之间存在联系。
They concluded that clutter has a profound impact on mood and self-esteem.
他们得出结论，杂乱对情绪和自尊有深远的影响。
It's interesting that aside from messiness, our number of household objects correlates with how we feel, according to that particular study.
有趣的是，根据那项研究，除了杂乱之外，家居用品的数量与我们的感受有关。
So, we could conclude from this that simplicity in our living space positively impacts our mood regarding mental clarity and inner peace.
因此，我们可以由此得出结论，简单的生活空间对我们的情绪有积极影响，包括思维清晰和内心平静。
Aside from simplifying our environment (and positively influencing our well-being), there are other ways to apply simplicity to our lives that enhance inner peace and mental clarity. What about simplicity in thinking?
除了简化我们的环境（并积极影响我们的幸福感）之外，还有其他方法可以将简单性应用于我们的生活，从而增强内心平静和思维清晰。那么思维方面的简单性呢？
And I don't mean oversimplifying complex matters, but not cluttering and overcomplicating simple matters, which many people tend to do.
我的意思不是把复杂的事情过度简单化，而是不要把简单的事情弄得杂乱无章、过于复杂，而很多人往往会这样做。
We overanalyze things to the point of exhaustion, which often leads to anxiety or other negative mental states.
我们过度分析事物，以至于精疲力竭，这往往会导致焦虑或其他消极的心理状态。
When making a choice, for example, we may consider hundreds of variables, possible outcomes, other people's opinions, et cetera.
例如，在做出选择时，我们可能会考虑数百个变量、可能的结果、其他人的意见等等。
However, we could also follow our intuition and gut feeling, accepting that any choice comes with uncertainty and that we ultimately can't predict the future, regardless of how much we analyze.
然而，我们也可以遵循直觉，接受任何选择都伴随着不确定性，而且无论我们分析多少，我们最终都无法预测未来。
Accepting uncertainty, whatever choice we make, and the bravery to (after some reasonable consideration) just choose will make our minds much calmer.
接受不确定性，无论我们做出什么选择，以及（经过合理的考虑）做出选择的勇气，都会让我们的心灵更加平静。
We can also apply simplicity to our desires. Suppose our desires and pleasures are many and challenging to gratify.
我们也可以把简单应用于我们的欲望。假设我们的欲望和快乐很多，而且很难满足。
In that case, peace of mind will be rare, as we're constantly battling for satisfaction.
在这种情况下，内心的平静将变得罕见，因为我们一直在为满足而奋斗。
But if our desires and pleasures are simple, we need less to satisfy them, so our peace of mind will be abundant.
但如果我们的欲望和快乐很简单，我们就不需要那么多东西去满足它们，我们的内心就会很平静。
My grandfather, a big lover of animals, once told me that he didn't need an expensive yacht, as picking up and feeding a little bird in the garden gives him the same feeling of happiness.
我的祖父非常热爱动物，他曾经告诉我，他不需要一艘昂贵的游艇，因为在花园里捡起并喂养一只小鸟也能给他带来同样的幸福感。
Imagine the time, effort, and money he saved compared to those who desired an expensive boat, which brings us to the next benefit: Imagine a lady going to the supermarket to buy toothpaste.
想象一下，与那些想要一艘昂贵船只的人相比，他节省了多少时间、精力和金钱，这给我们带来了下一个好处：想象一位女士去超市买牙膏。
Inside, she encounters multiple aisles of countless brands, catering to every possible preference: whitening, herbal, sensitivity relief, natural, fluoride-free, charcoal-infused, and even unicorn-sparkled gel that tastes like bubblegum.
在超市里，她会看到无数品牌的多个货架，迎合各种可能的偏好：美白、草本、缓解敏感、天然、无氟、含活性炭，甚至还有独角兽闪光凝胶，味道像泡泡糖。
After purchasing a tube of SpongeBob toothpaste, she feels overwhelmed and exhausted: a simple task turned into a daunting decision-making ordeal.
在购买了一管海绵宝宝牙膏后，她感到不知所措和疲惫不堪：一个简单的任务变成了艰巨的决策考验。
The paradox of choice is real. It's a byproduct of our consumerist society that offers many options, unlike the old times, which were much simpler.
选择悖论是真实存在的。这是消费主义社会的副产品，它提供了许多选择，不像过去那么简单。
There wasn't much to choose from, which was both a curse and a blessing.
没有太多的选择，这既是诅咒也是祝福。
We didn't have twelve kinds of SpongeBob toothpaste, but we also didn't have the burden of choice we have now. Let's face it.
我们没有十二种海绵宝宝牙膏，但我们也没有现在的选择负担。让我们面对现实吧。
How much of our time do we spend on making choices? For each item, we must choose between ten brands in the supermarket.
我们花了多少时间在做选择上？对于每件商品，我们必须在超市的十个品牌之间做出选择。
If we want to buy a new phone, there are hundreds to choose from, from low to high-end. The same applies to laptops, televisions, fridges, and vacuum cleaners. And take dating, for example.
如果我们想买一部新手机，有数百种产品可供选择，低端高端具备。笔记本电脑、电视、冰箱和吸尘器也是如此。以约会为例。
