Thread: Ignorance Reviewed

What is wrong with the world today? I see the question all the time. Some people make their living trying to figure it out, trying to do something to change it. I believe I have stumbled upon the answer. Oh, it’s nothing new, and it’s nothing I haven’t probably thought myself at one point or another, but the significance of this realization has finally struck me with its full force.

So, what is wrong with the world today? I have come to believe that the problem with this world is people. People just don’t want to really think about the world they live in. Even those who claim they do think are so afraid of exploring new ideas that they will just go through life, readily believing lies because it gives them comfort, rather than have to face the possibility that they are wrong, or that life is not exactly as they think it is.

I had a conversation with someone today; someone with whom I have had many such conversations. As usual, the conversation turned into an argument, because this person refused to see past preconceived assumptions about the world in which we live. I realized that he is like many people: the truth can stare him in the face, and he will not see it. Not because he is blind, but because he refuses to look. He just doesn’t care. Things are the way he believes they are, and he won’t look at any evidence that might prove contrary to his beliefs.

I have engaged in many debates with many people over the last several years, searching for truth, for answers, for something. What I have found is that, with almost no exception, people will leave an argument with the same mindset in which they joined the argument, despite the presentation of hard facts proving them wrong. I cannot begin to fathom how anyone would choose blissful ignorance over cold, hard truth, but the majority of people on this planet do so.

Is it laziness? Do people just want to be told what to think, what to believe, what to do, because they are too lazy to think for themselves? Or, is it deeper? Do people refuse to see the world in which they live for what it is because to do so would be to give in to despair? I can’t answer this, because I refuse to live in ignorance.

What I do know is that I have spent countless hours trying to get people to open their eyes, to see the truth, and to change their lives accordingly, all to little account. I have wasted so much time and effort, seeing no results but my own frustrations and anger. I used to think it would be irresponsible of me to not inform people of their error. At times I thought I would not be a good person if I just stood back and let people stumble around in ignorance.

Now, I am not so sure. After all, if one is ignorant, it is because they ignore the truth. By that definition, nearly anyone who is ignorant before I present them with the truth will remain so after I have done so. Repeated arguments will only chase them further into that web of lies they call reality.

So, the question is, what is to be done with those who choose to live in ignorance? Is the only option to allow them to live in their ignorance, and to pretend everything is okay? These are our mothers, our fathers, our sisters, and our brothers. They are our co-workers and friends and relatives and acquaintances. They are proverbial sheep wandering aimlessly through life, whose direction and beliefs are dictated by those in power. And they like it that way.

I am loathe to stand by and do nothing, but I am tired of fighting a battle that cannot be won. If those who live in ignorance wished to be free of that ignorance, they would not need any prompting from me. They would have already sought out the truth on their own. The most difficult thing about doing nothing, though, is that I find it hard to relate to people who cannot see the world as it is. I do not need a person who will readily agree with everything I say, with my viewpoint. But I do need someone who will as eagerly and vigorously search out the truth as I try to do.

Or, should I just say to hell with it and live in ignorance myself? Should I just live in my own fantasy world, unbothered by the nasty truth? Ah… if only it were that simple. Unfortunately, as I found out nearly fifteen years ago, the truth, once learned, is hard forgotten. Even if I wanted to, I could not go back to living in ignorance. I do faintly remember it being a pleasant place, though. Perhaps I should not begrudge the ignorant their residency there.





Many will not understand this. Many people will think they do, but do not. And a few of you know just what I'm talking about.

You know the old saying,"There is nothing wrong with the world. It's just the people in it!"

I'm curious and I ask this in all sincerity - why are you so sure your point of view is right? I am not saying you are wrong I simply wonder why you are so confident.

I'm not preaching a particular point of view. I'm extolling the virtues of thinking for one's self, for exploring all possibilities, for refusing to hide behind ignorance because the real world sucks. If I were preaching a particular view point, I guess it would have to be, "Challenge everything."

Amen, Kane. I was just talking about this today, in fact.

I think it all comes down to ease. It's pretty hard to consistently challenge everything, and put the energy into elevating oneself. After a while, perhaps early on, one is tempted to succumb to everyday entertainments and let others feed them the answers to the bigger questions.

So, are you saying that in all facets of life people form an opinion without examining it first? Is it that people are too stubborn once they have made their mind up, rather than too fickle. Or is that to miss the point, that people in general just don't question at all.

Is this for intelligent people as well? Do you think it goes deeper than people just not being intelligent?

Kane,
I think this discussion would be more accessible and useful if you could include some examples of the subjects to which you have found a different level of profundity from the masses.
Far from being sceptical though, I agree with you and can clearly understand that you are intelligent, so would be interested to hear some of your particular issues with the world.