Back To Basics

While grocery shopping the other day, I came across the kitchen tools display in the notions aisle. There was a brand of serving spoons, whisks, spatulas, and so forth called “Back To Basics”. The products were simple, sturdy, and without frills. The products were obviously marketed towards people who want a tool to fit a particular need and do so at low cost. I thought to myself, if I needed to outfit my kitchen again, I’d certainly buy these “Back To Basics” kitchen tools.

The phrase, “back to basics” is one of the most popular idioms in the English language. It’s used in the educational field when an instructor wants to reiterate a simple concept to her pupils. Politicians overuse it when they try to convince their followers of proposals and policies. The idiom is useful to people who wish to boast about their own moral superiority when they tout mundane, everyday thinking.

Back to basics implies that one should abandon complex, nuanced, sophisticated concepts and artifacts. At its best, back to basics means concentrating only on the essential. At its worst, back to basics can mean intellectual laziness and oversimplification. The idiom is a very useful tool to rhetoricians and marketing people. There seems to be a warm, wholesome aura around the phrase.

It’s useful to remember the basics just as musicians practice scales and decision makers remember essential, simple principles. It’s a good idea to review the basics from time to time, regardless of one’s station in life and profession.

An example of remembering the basics are use of the various checklists that aircraft pilots and crew use before, during, and after flying their aircraft. By knowing the status of every part of the airplane, they can make informed, safe decisions.

Remembering to take care of the basics is essential when we want to make important changes in our lives. If one is considering moving to another city or country, we investigate how we will make a living, what type of dwelling to live in, how we will take care of our day to day necessities. Once the basics are accounted for, we go ahead with our more complex goals and projects.

When it comes to our personal lives, it is good to take care of the basics. It’s easy to forget important, basics when we are hit with an emergency or stressful scenario. Before panic sets in and clouds rational thinking, it’s wise to take a few breaths and pause. Personally, I ask myself: “Am I sleeping well and enough? Am I getting sufficient mental and physical exercise? Am I eating the proper proportions of the right foods?” Knowing the answers to these questions allows me to know how effectively I can handle the scenario. When I neglect the basics, the results can be unsatisfactory.

The basics are the foundation upon which to build our dreams. Castles in the air can be manifested on the ground when we remember basic principles and how they can be used in creative, new ways.

The basics of commitment, honor, and self-respect go a long ways towards living a creative, productive, joyful life. This seems self-evident, but the obvious is often easily forgotten. We start with the basics then expand upon them to our hearts’ desires.

Ciao
The Blue Jay of Happiness quotes award-winning actress, choreographer, dancer, director, singer-songwriter, Debbie Allen. ” You have to examine a scene on the page first. Then you get into the basics of acting: Who are you? Who are you talking to? How do you feel about that person?”