I am off to Australia in an hour's time. I have been giving various talks and seminars this week. I find that more and more people have read the book 'SIMPLICITY' and find it useful and timely. I was speaking at the Design Council earlier in the week and several people there commented on how important such ideas were for 'design'. At the same time there are the predictable reviews from those who are really upset by simplicity but dare not say that. So they direct their unpleasantness in different ways. There is such a huge difference between people who are involved in getting on and doing things and people who just sit and comment. They live in two different worlds. Unfortunately society is much too guided by the 'commentators'. This particularly applies to the print medium which is full of people whose ambition greatly exceeds their talent. Some of you may have noticed the pompous and pathetic review in the Guardian. I wonder that people writing such things do not realise how ridiculous they seem to those who have actually read the book or know my other work? I am sure that there is much to criticise about simplicity in a serious way - but shere adjectival rubbish is puerile and merely displays the distemper and even envy of the writer. Always count the adjectives to determine how objective a piece of writng may be.
Next week I hope to open a discussionm on 'globalisation'. We assume it to be a good thing. But from a system point of view this is highly doubtful.
Edward de Bono
London
12th September 1998
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