Simplicity can be wondrously elegant, but when it comes to thinking, it’s not the best.

Our ability to understand and create complexity is what keeps life interesting and makes progress possible. Simple joys — the sight of a child’s smile, the taste of chocolate, the affection of a loyal dog — are key ingredients to happiness, but they alone cannot make the modern world a better place.

Complexity is an integral part of civilization, and most of it is beautiful, constructive, inspiring, and uniquely human. Subtle distinctions and complicated interactions entice our minds, arouse our senses, and enrich everything we do. And seven billion people in nearly 200 countries have created an interconnected web that can no longer function without complexity. So even when complexity seems hard, don’t fight it — embrace it.

Now more than ever, we need to better understand the intricacies of the human mind and soul, the laws of nature, the relationships and tools we create, and the ultimate human invention — culture, the extraordinarily complicated written and unwritten rules, values, customs, and expectations that quietly govern our lives. To gain that understanding, we should leverage the power of both the scientific method and the humanities, and the critical and complex thinking they employ. With their help, we can enhance our knowledge, wisdom, and choices.

Would you prefer to solve international problems through delicate diplomacy, based on shared and nuanced understandings of deep cultural differences, rather than through war? Would you like to see full employment with high paying jobs but without polluting our environment or alienating other nations? Would you like to continue extending the healthy human lifespan, which requires the complicated exploration of DNA replication, carcinogens, hormonal systems, and trillions of microbes living in our guts? Would you like to see all Americans covered by health insurance with a reliable system that works for individuals, insurance companies, doctors, nurses, hospitals, drug companies, and employers? These complicated issues require complex solutions.

And never underestimate the incredible joy and satisfaction that come from rising to a complex challenge and conquering it.