Is ignorance truly bliss?
By allshookup
@allshookup (598)
United States
February 14, 2007 11:44am CST
Yes, I do think so. Knowledge has only brought me sad realizations. I mean, I am thankful for it, I do want to KNOW things, but learning about psychology, and all of the ways people are shaped by environment but mostly heredity, give me little hope for people to change. It takes a strong person to see err and do something about it, and I am afraid my whole life I've been surrounded by people who are avoidant, depressed, and highly controlled. Family, some friends (luckily I've met a few I still connect with), even teachers and peers, all live their lives behind some prejudice or veil that doesn't allow them to see the world and their lives for what it really is. Therefore, they can still be happy with things they've chosen and not torment themselves with looking back, thinking twice, feeling guilty or disconnected. Ignorance is bliss. I can never have this; I have looked into that seeing eye glass and cannot go back. I will forever think about how different I am from the rest of the world. Immense lifestyles to some are simple pleasures to me that stimulate nothing within me, it's just an attempt at normalcy. On the other hand, I am glad to know the things I do because I know myself better. But then, if I had ONE more hand, I'd see that to know myself means I cannot have comfort in some of the things I once did. And it'd be so much less lonely to fall back onto those pop culture comforts than higher knowledge.
3 people like this
5 responses
@ag_abscruzmd (2283)
• United States
14 Feb 07
I think people come with a "switch on-switch off" mechanism. Sometimes, when we want to ignore something around us because we choose not to know, we switch off. I think this is a defense mechanism. I do this many times, especially at times when I seem to get tired of what's going on with the world, too tired of answering my own questions, and just want to say, 'enough'!. Thus, at these times, ignorance is indeed bliss.
@ag_abscruzmd (2283)
• United States
26 Feb 07
Thanks for choosing mine as the "best response"! Truly appreciate it!
@Denmarkguy (1845)
• United States
18 Mar 07
From where I am sitting, ignorance is sleep. The vast majority of the world sleepwalks through life, simply moving forward, one step after another, not questioning the "hows" and "whys" of their existence, let alone the toxic patterns that lead them to falling into the same psychological potholes, time after time.
Plato said: "The life unexamined is not worth living." I think that is very true. There's no bliss to be found in ignorance, only a sort of soul-sleep, in which one can EXIST but not truly LIVE.
@allshookup (598)
• United States
19 Mar 07
I would have rather examined my life during Plato's time than during this age. Toxicity isn't only psychological. We are all becoming ceramic, porcelain, with our sculptor embodying technology, chemical pollution, and politics. It's not a wonderful life to examine. On the brink of masses of higher knowledge and in the hey day of philosophy and democracy, Plato probably did gain pleasure from his thinkings. I probably would have, too. But we are past that stage, well past, and now what is there to think of but how to fix what we've funked up and how to guard ourselves from the current and future parasites of this world?
@astroo13 (963)
• India
14 Feb 07
We need to have the knowledge to change the things we consider wrong.I don't think ignorance will help in changing things which are wrong. If you have the knowledge of bad things we might have a better chance of overcoming something bad in our life. There are good people in this world, so please keep faith.Regards
@allshookup (598)
• United States
14 Feb 07
Very true. Sometimes, I know what will happen, but I just want that experience. Ignorance definitely won't help in changing this world's wrongs. I know there are good people out there, I am just afraid we can't do enough for those who aren't.
@Rexy_leigh (1189)
• Philippines
27 Mar 07
You have a point here, and I do agree with you... though we know that knowledge is very important especially in the kind of society we are moving around now, it's just that sometimes we need to pretend or play ignorant to some things we would like not to know. I mean, with all the problems and struggles we have been doing in a day to day basis, we would rather play ignorant to some stuffs which we feel don't matter that much and knowing them would simply cause us some bad headaches. I have done this many a times and felt that somehow ignorant people live easier and happier at times compared to some intellectuals here.
@Xanatos390 (72)
• United States
8 Mar 07
I believe the opposite, that ignorance is fatal.
Perfect microcosmic analogy, Poe's USHER II.
@allshookup (598)
• United States
19 Mar 07
USHER II was inspired by Poe, but not written by the man.
