Over the course of the week, I had tried to think of a subject to write about this week, but I wasn't having a lot of success. Then I just started looking around me and the phrase "ignorance is bliss" kept popping up. It's not, is it? To be fair, I have a bit of an issue with that particular saying. For the most part it's actually quite an ignorant one. Literally.
Innocence is the blissful state. To not have experienced anything: no loss, no joy. Utterly devoid of anything on the "outside" of one's own self - that's what's blissful: pure, guiltless, harmless (according to Collins). In that same dictionary, the first definition of ignorance is disregard. Disregard is about choice. Ignorance is about choice. Ignorance is knowing better, knowing the right course to take, the right decision to make, but choosing not to. What one turns a blind eye to doesn't need to be anything earth shattering or have global implications. Over time, it dulls the senses of the individual who thinks he/she's protecting him/herself from something they just don't want to see. It's like teaching yourself not to care about anything other than yourself and what you hold dear. That's not a way to live and it's not something I care to pursue either.
Serendipitously, this afternoon I heard someone say: "Ignorance is a curse. It takes courage to do something about it." I couldn't agree more. I challenge anyone reading this to reflect on this, and to at least consider doing something about it.
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