Ignorance is Bliss

Doesn't that go without saying?  It's a phrase most of us have heard or used several times throughout our lives.  It was even used in one of my favorite movies, 'The Matrix.'   In a sense, it is somewhat true.  I think that if I were diagnosed with a terminal disease, my preference would be to not know about it and just continue on living life as is.   Maybe that's what so many people avoid going to the doctor...because they're afraid to learn what might be wrong with them?   Knowledge is power, yes...but not if that knowledge brings you anxiety, right!?  If you discovered you had an incurable brain tumor and would die within 3 months, would you rather know or just let nature take it's course?  Not to say that I'm fatalistic but I think I would just prefer to not know about it.   Some people however might want to make the most of those 3 months and do things they wouldn't do otherwise...like go skydiving, visit the Himilayas, or reconnect with an old friend.  Whatever the case may be, I think the "knowing" part of it would always be in the back of my mind so for me that would be somewhat tortuous.

Certainly, there are some things though that we need to be aware of in life.  It's hard to say but I think in general, people prefer not to know things that detract from their rosy perspective of  life and the world around them.  I feel that many times people block out information because they would rather just not think about it.  Let's face it...admitting something is not what you thought it was is extremely difficult.  Like the faithful wife, married for 32 years to the same man that finds out her sweet husband has been having an affair on her.  Or finding out the doctor you've been going to for since you're childhood was just committed of a sex crime. Things like this, unfortunately happen every day. 

The point is that these revelations are hard to swallow.  Nobody wants to admit that they have an incurable disease, that their mate has been cheating on them, or that their trusted doctor could ever commit such a despicable act!  The bottom line is that once you open your eyes to the truth you begin to see.  You begin to see more than just with your eyes, and begin to see with your mind.  I notice so many people distracting themselves with their I-pod, I-pad, or some other accoutrement.   Maybe it's just entertainment or recreation but it's also shutting yourself off to the world around you.  When did we as a society become so obsessed with reality TV, celebrity lifestyles, and pop culture anyway...yet so negligent when it comes to knowledge of what's happening at the highest levels of our government?   We would rather know who won the Bears game than who won the mid-term elections...pretty sad if you ask me.

So I guess I'll sum up my ramblings by saying this --- yes, ignorance is bliss...that is until your reality comes crashing down and you're forced to see the truth.