What I said was:

the more specialized or lightweight it is, the more it needs to be embedded in a matrix of experience and knowledge for you to get the best results from it

I am not sure how that is wrong, but feel free to disagree if you must.

I notice from your profile that you've been hiking since 1966. Perhaps you have been an experienced hiker for so long that your memory of being a novice is a bit hazy. Then again, maybe that has nothing to do with it. But I do know that no one is born knowing how to backpack safely and comfortably.

As for sleeping, walking and laying around (you forgot eating), not one of those activities actually requires any equipment at all. But I wouldn't recommend a novice take that point of view as a starting point for assembling a gear list.

However, maybe what I should have said was, "if you don't feel as if you grasp the correct way to use a piece of equipment, ask someone who does know to show you how, or explain it until you do understand, or else don't buy it or bring it with you. Instead, bring something else you feel confident with."