“Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.” – Proverbs 14:4
This week I was struck by this ancient and timeless proverb. To speak candidly, with my firm‘s growth, there’s been no lack of growth pains. Instead of getting simpler, things seemingly become more complex. Old issues seem small, replaced by newer and larger ones.
What used to seem like a big deal now almost seems laughable.
I don’t believe I’m unique in experiencing this. Whether it’s our businesses, our jobs, or our personal finances – there’s an interesting parallel with growth and complexity.
Unpacking this proverb – the ox is a means for abundant crops. But keeping oxen is a messy job. They poop. Evidently a lot. You need to provide food and water. You need to balance the amount of food with the amount you work them.
No oxen would mean a clean manger and a clean stable. But it also means less ability for creating abundant crops. An empty manger may be clean, but it won’t produce any abundance.
So rather than seeking to avoid messy complexity – I’m learning to embrace it.
And as Carl Richards of Behavior Gap sketches out, have a goal of moving from Simplistic, into the chaos of Complexity, and arriving at Elegant Simplicity. We’ll reenter the next area of complexity soon enough, but realizing the pattern can help provide perspective.
Or as Oliver Wendell Homes said, “For the simplicity that lies this side of complexity, I would not give a fig, but for the simplicity that lies on the other side of complexity, I would give my life.”
Embrace the messy mangers, and realize they’re an integral part of the journey.