"Ignorance is bliss". This is an age old adage which needs no introduction. This is used by many people in supporting of not knowing things, usually in situations where reality is disturbing and discomforting. If a fact is bound to cause a lot of trouble, this probably might be correct. But is it valid as a general truth?
Ignorance is absence of knowledge. So this statement means not trying to know too much and staying comfortable as much as we can. This is fraught with serious dangers. Knowledge is one of the highest virtues as recognized by philosophers of all time. It is an essential ingredient for knowing truth, lack of understanding of which will push us to into bad actions and bad thoughts. Let us see what this means in various dimensions.
Nothing is a greater threat to political organization of a country than political ignorance of its citizens. Democracy, especially of all the forms of governments, can only be as good as its citizens. Ignorant citizens can only create flawed democracy. This is something we see everyday in action. Criminals getting elected to legislature, money and liquor deciding the elections, politics not concerned with well-being of the society, media being reduced to mouthpiece of the state and debates becoming competition of decibels, all these are made possible because of political ignorance of our citizens.
Ignorance causes problems in social sphere too. Lot of people follow social rules because they have sanction of majority. Caste-restrictions, religious dogma, patriarchal practices etc cause enormous harm to society at large. Just imagine trauma a person of LGBT community is put through in a society which makes mockery of them in every way possible. All these don't effect us directly unless we are part of the suppressed community. So, it is easy to ignore them and stay comfortable in our own bubble being a perpetrator or a silent witness to this violence.
Even in our personal relations, examining consequences of our actions is an arduous task and many people like to avoid it if possible. In areas of career, hobbies and interests, better knowledge will help us make better decisions. It will help us lead a more meaningful and purposeful life, and avoid certain mistakes.
"No pleasure is comparable to the standing upon the vantage-ground of truth", said Francis Bacon. Knowledge is a joy in itself and this is one of its greatest appeals.
It is true that there can be situations where truth will be disturbing, discomforting and will make us restless, anxious and depressed. If it becomes too much to handle, yes it is better to choose ignorance at that point of time. Take some time to recharge and recover, and we will be able to handle the things better. But if it is within our capacity to handle, it is better to be informed even if it is disturbing. As the saying goes, crisis precedes reforms. We will come out as a better person. In my opinion avoiding truth and choosing ignorance always because it is sometimes too disturbing is analogous to avoiding all the highways because sometimes there are accidents on it. If we avoid every trouble, we will never realize the beauty of life.
As Socrates said "The unexamined life is not worth living". To conclude, Ignorance is bliss sometimes but as a more general rule, "Ignorance is sin".
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