Column: Is it time to simplify things?

I am not for a moment saying that we should not have a wider perspective which takes in the realities of the world – we are far better informed than any generation before us. But at the same time, the times in which we now live are deeply troubling and there are plenty muttering darkly about what might – or might not – happen in the weeks and months which we are yet to encounter. For all that though, should we not first be taking care of the business that we can reasonably be expected to take care of at home – and let the elected bodies representing us do their work?

If I recall my school days, it was then that I was first advised to take notice of what the papers were saying and what was being reported about the wider world. Being informed then was a completely different proposition – there were no mobile phones, there was no internet, and any news reporting was so low-tech that television reports were filmed photographically, rushed for developing and processing, and might not be available until up to three days after the incidents being reported on had taken place. The Falklands was a prime example of this. On top of the logistics of reporting, there was the need for clarity without it endangering military activity. Slower processing facilitated it. The arrival of instantaneous, live electronic television and radio reporting changed things – as did the global uptake of the world wide web when it got into its stride. As it did, the world shrank to the point that it materialised in our homes - and we were unable to leave it outside. Now, it’s in our pockets.

But this is not simply a question of news reporting. Our lives have become vastly more complicated by the things we have in them, the calls against our time and the eternal juggling act that is demanded of us all. When he retired from the regular nine to five of an office job, my father dabbled with a little business consultancy, became part of the first intake of voluntary stewards at Royal and Derngate with my mother, and joined the local Probus group. In his latter years he would often say that he’d never been busier. For us the same could perhaps be true – but I wonder how much of that is down to choice, as distinct from circumstances and our own, domestic ‘To Do‘ lists impinging on what would otherwise be a less cluttered outlook.

That outlook is now driven by our behaviour – which is, in turn, driven by how machines interpret our activities, conversations and purchases. Look at almost anything online these days and you’ll suddenly, subtly, find that your browsing will have purchase opportunities related to your behaviour appearing in front of you. The algorithms are primed to spot behaviour capable of being repeated, and if you should give an online review of a product or service, you can guarantee that something related to it will be flashing up before long. Insidious, it is the constant upselling – or fear marketing – of a product or service that we simply, obviously, cannot be without. Admonished by your credit card company that you’re nearing your limit? No problem – just ask for a higher one! It too, is an advertisement. Pay now – AND pay later.

I was taken by a recent press article written by journalist and broadcaster Adrian Chiles. A biker, he related an occasion when he had left his car and the train at home and was instead riding north, having decided to take quieter country roads, rather than hammer along on a motorway. His progress was intendedly slower but all the richer for having taken in counties like Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire, passing rural delights including the ‘impressive’ entrance to Towcester Racecourse. Having called in on the town (he was clearly on the A5 instead of the M1), he had headed to Weedon, Daventry and beyond. His advice? For your sanity, set a different pace to your agenda, select the slower, gentler path, take in the sights and civilities of the people you encounter in front of you, and arrive at your destination rather more fulfilled than might otherwise be the case.

It's not a bad maxim for life, I suggest.