Little Moments: Is Ignorance Bliss?

Ignorance is bliss when you are a child and the world is still your ice cream sundae. Ignorance is bliss when you are told that your crush does not feel the same way about you. Ignorance is bliss when you discover that your best friend has stabbed you in the back. Ignorance is bliss when your significant other has found someone to replace you. Most importantly, though, ignorance is bliss for those who want to be shielded. But, to be shielded is to be weak. You cannot live, learn, grow, and build up a thick layer of skin if you are constantly trying to look the other way because you might be upset about what you find if you were to stop and take a good long look at what was actually going on around you. The truth might hurt but so do lies and so does playing dumb.

To have knowledge is to be hurt, but to have knowledge is also to have the means to protect yourself in the future. Knowledge is power, ignorance is a vulnerability, and humans are vulnerable enough as it is. Stand up and accept the knowledge. It may not always be pretty, but we aren’t pretty people and we don’t live in a pretty world. Sometimes we get sad, other times we are depressed, but there are even greater moments of genuine happiness and gratitude. You need to remember those moments. You need to focus on what makes you happy. What brings a smile to your face? What makes you forget your sorrows, even just for a moment? Those are the things you need to focus on. Don’t desire to be ignorant, desire to be happy. True happiness is better than ignorance.