It’s nothing groundbreaking to say that the world is full of paradoxes. But I can’t ignore the fact that lately, I’ve been noticing them more and more.

There’s something fascinating about them. Paradoxes are situations, statements, or phenomena that at first glance contradict logic and common sense, yet often contain a hidden truth. Some are just interesting curiosities you can acknowledge and move on from, but others stay with you. They can turn your way of thinking upside down, make you notice patterns you hadn’t seen before, or simply leave you with the feeling that you know even less than you did before.

To put this into perspective, I’ve chosen three paradoxes—each in a different category: The Eye-Opening Paradox, The "I Know That I Know Nothing" Paradox and My Favorite Paradox.

### The Eye-Opening Paradox

Sometimes, change feels impossible—not because things are too difficult, but because they’re just good enough. Not perfect, but comfortable enough not to push yourself. Not perfect, but tolerable enough to avoid any real pressure.

And that’s the worst kind of situation. It doesn’t give you a reason to grow, to improve your life, or to take action. Here are a few examples from my own life:
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I knew something was off with my health, but it wasn’t bad enough to take immediate action. By the time I finally did, the consequences were much worse.
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I spent years stuck in an average, unfulfilling job that didn’t help me grow. It wasn’t difficult or toxic, so I never felt an urgent need to leave. Just good enough to stay. Just bland enough to bring no real satisfaction.

When things are really bad, you act. But when things are just "okay," you settle into comfortable mediocrity. And that’s exactly what The Region-Beta Paradox describes. Ever since I learned about it, I keep wondering: how many things would I have changed if they had been just a little bit worse?

### The "I Know That I Know Nothing" Paradox

I came up with this category for paradoxes that generate more questions than answers. For me, The Meno Paradox fits into it perfectly.

In ancient Greece, Socrates had a conversation with Meno about virtue—what it is and whether it can be taught. At one point, Meno asked: "How can we search for a definition of something if we don’t know what it is? And if we already know it, why search at all?" If we don’t know what we don’t know, how can we ever learn anything?

Socrates had his answer—he believed that the human soul has always known the truth and only needs to remember it. But for me, this paradox reveals something else. It’s a reminder that I can never truly know how complete my knowledge is. That there are entire parts of reality I’m not even aware of. So maybe growth isn’t about collecting answers, but about recognizing the extent of our own ignorance.

### My Favorite Paradox

After this philosophical deep dive, it’s time for something more grounded. The Paradox of Simplicity is a great example of how things that seem easy are often the hardest to achieve.

In thinking, true wisdom isn’t about making things more complicated, but about simplifying them in the right way. And paradoxically, that’s not so simple. After all, what does it really mean to simplify something well?

If you strip things down too much, you take away something essential—functionality, depth, flexibility. It takes real discernment to keep what’s valuable and remove what’s truly unnecessary.

That’s why this paradox is my favorite. It’s everywhere—how we communicate, how we think, how we design things. And every time I come back to it, it reminds me that simplicity isn’t about removing complexity but about mastering it.

This definitely won’t be my last thought on paradoxes. And since I’ve already touched on design, maybe next time, I’ll explore paradoxes from that perspective.