10 Reasons Why Ignorance Isn't Bliss

Ten Reasons Why Ignorance Isn’t Bliss

(according to Gretchen Brannon)

1. Being ignorant of self is what causes most of our problems. – Get to know the real you, not who you think you’re supposed to be. Every one is unique. Don’t be scared to be different. The best way do this is to learn meditation. Beware the first voice telling you that this is a waste of time. It’s the left side of the brain feeling threatened, because it has to give up control. If you are right brain dominate, congratulations! You’re half way there.

2. Ignoring problems doesn’t make them go away, in fact, it usually makes things worse. – If you had a disease, you’d want to know as soon as possible, because early detection of most illnesses usually means a better outcome. It’s the same with anything. I used to have co-workers who would ignore a problem, hoping it would somehow go away, but all it did was make matters worse.

3. All of your actions affect somebody else. – No matter what society has taught you, you are not the center of the universe! I see this daily. People think that they are the only one that matters. They go through life not caring about anyone but themselves, and maybe friends and family. Maybe. Problem is that we don’t care about strangers. Just because you don’t know their name, doesn’t mean you can be rude to them. Always ask yourself, would I want to be treated this way?

4. The government might decide your beliefs should be outlawed. – I am always amazed by the number of people who don’t vote. Most of them don’t vote, because they don’t want jury duty. Believe me, I don’t want to serve jury duty either, but I will not let that silence my vote. If you do not participate in the political process, then anything you love might be outlawed. That to me would be far worse than serving jury duty. Always be aware of what your government is up to. Watch or read the news, even if it is depressing. We have the power to change the world.

5. Be aware of what companies do, you may not like the answer. - Companies only make profits if you buy their products. If you don’t like the way a company does business, then don’t buy things from them. I realize this may not always be possible, coming from a rural area. If you can though, by all means, boycott them. Even if they lose 80% of your business, it will do some good. Nothing gets their attention like losing money! Please keep in mind, though the person behind the counter still deserves respect.

6. Don’t let religious officials misguide you. – I’m not saying you shouldn’t be religious! What I am saying is be careful not to be misled. I have witnessed this too many times to count. Always read your religious texts yourself. Here’s an example: I had a woman argue with me that the Bible (King James Version) said that the forbidden fruit Adam and Eve ate was an apple. It only says it’s the fruit of the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She kept saying that her preacher told her so. Go read the Bible; it never says that it is an apple.

As a young child, I was told by my Sunday school teacher, that heaven was divided up with barbwire fences. Only our church would be closest to God, and that all the other dominations would be further away, and the Catholics would be behind a brick wall. Lucky for me, I had a religious experience a few years before this happened. (So I knew better) After we quit going to that church, I found out that the Pastor had ran off with all of the church’s money. My point is, never to get your beliefs from the back of a pamphlet. (Got that saying from my husband) Always learn the source of your beliefs, and never blindly follow anyone.

7. Ignorance can lead to war. – Just look at the world today. Being ignorant to facts causes us to react in a false way. It causes a chain reaction that is difficult to stop. Also, being ignorant of history dooms us to repeat it. For instance, if we look at history, it tells us that people have to want, to fight for their right, to have a democracy in order for it to succeed. You can’t give it to them. That always fails.

8. We affect the environment, which in turn affects us. It’s not only in a health way either, sometimes financially too. – Everything we do causes something. If you throw away a plastic bottle, it goes to a land fill, and never rots. Problem is when everyone does it everyday. We are running out of room to put our trash. Now, if you recycle that bottle, it gets melted and remade into another bottle, etc. Point is, it isn’t wasting space in a dump. The raw material to make a new (first time) bottle isn’t in demand. Other countries are now using more plastic, which is making everything more expensive. There aren’t enough raw materials to go around. Recycling saves us money. This is just one example. There are many other environmental issues besides recycling to consider. Please be aware of every decision you make, it can affect the environment. If we make the world better, it will make us better.

9. We are connected to everything. There is more to the world than we can possibly understand. – This may be an ignorance that is hard to overcome. It doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try. We are all a part of the web of life. We are connected to every person, plant, animal, stone, etc. Don’t buy into the myth that we are supreme to other forms of life. There are other forms above us, and very few below us. Meditation can also help you realize just how connected we are. Learn to feel the life around you. Don’t let your left side of your brain tell you otherwise. You really can feel it if you try. Practice until you do.

10. You miss out seeing just how beautiful the world really is, if you are ignorant. – I had to read about it, before I realized that other people don’t really look at things. I have always been an artist. I have been really looking at things my entire life. I’m not saying I do it every moment of everyday. Otherwise, one would never get anything accomplished. I do look at least one thing in depth everyday. Learning how to draw has a lot to do with really seeing an object. Example: Look at your hand. Really look at it. Stare at the space between your fingers. Notice all the different angles each part makes. Notice all the wrinkles. They are beautiful. Try to draw a picture of your hand. Notice the shadows and highlights (where light bounces off your hand). If this is a first attempt, it might not look great; the rest will come with practice. Your left brain will try to tell you that you can’t, but don’t listen to it.

Now look at art, some of the masters, do you see more than you did before? See how such little effort made your life so much richer. Now imagine if you really applied yourself.

In conclusion, I want to say that to be ignorant of something simply means not to have knowledge about something. I do not think we should make fun of someone for being ignorant of something. Instead, we should kindly and respectfully enlighten them to the facts. What I am saying is that we should never hide behind ignorance. We should do all that we can to eliminate it, starting with ourselves. I’m not perfect, far from it, but I try to be better. Please take everything I have said here to heart. It would make the world a better place!