Maybe Ignorance is Bliss

We live in a world that puts great emphasis on knowing a lot of things. We look at those that tend to be a bit naive and sometimes we snicker at them. Wondering to ourselves, "how in the world do they function not knowing this or that". And we pride ourselves on knowing all about current events, world events, the latest Crime Scene Investigative techniques and how to operate a "bazillion" different kinds of gadgets. We feel obligated to know even things we are better off never knowing, if this were not true, then 99% of the television and movies out there would have no audience, not to mention some of the reading material out there.

At times, actually most of the time, I buy into that sort of mentality that feels one must know what is going on. Its almost as if, I am afraid to look stupid or something if I don't know what folks are talking about, but there are so many things I have heard or seen that I wish I didn't know about. Makes me think about the verses in Ephesians 5 which if heeded, would leave out much of what we call being informed. There is some kind of balance that needs to be found with regard to what we should know regarding current events, but then I think about folks I know with no newspapers, no television, no Internet, no radio and even with the way the economy is, they don't seem to need to know about the present situation in the world, because not only do they not know what the current events are, they are not heavily influenced by it either. Not a one of them is in debt, they grow much of their food, and some don't even need to buy gas for a car. Many of them are self employed or at least employed by a brother in the church and they seem to know how to create jobs that are always needed. This "ignorance" is bliss lifestyle is really blissful, only most of us don't live in such an insulated world where we are o.k. with out knowing that the banks are in trouble, that crude oil prices are off the wall, that terrorist have made threats or that politicians are being nasty to one another. I do know one thing, that in this attempt to be "current" I have learned so many things that I just can't seem to unlearn, no matter how hard I try. Innocent thought patterns can be lost forever and our conversations can be colored with subject matter we don't need to even know about. I am shocked by the amount of crime and murder shows on the television. Lots of people watch them, they are among some of the most popular. Sure the science is fascinating to some but what about the ugliness, the evil deeds involved ? We don't NEED to know that stuff or have those scenes engraved into our minds. And honestly, I am not sure knowing about the dow jones gains and losses for the day, would change my life in any way. I don't have stocks or bonds and I have no loans in any bank or in any place. So knowing the numbers wouldn't prepare me better since there is nothing for me to prepare for.

I bet my life would not be much different if I didn't even know there was a stock market. I bet my life would not be much different if I never knew the term "deep recession". Maybe the whole key to life is to live in such a way that we don't need to know these things. I waver on this subject as I feel so smart when I know whats going on and I am informed from watching the news shows, but then some nights I lay awake an hour or so wondering "what if there was another great depression?" The story of the 10 virgins is one I use when I want to say I am in favor of being informed, so I can be prepared, but honestly, its probably more peaceful to not know much about what goes on in the dark places of life, which seems to include Wall Street !