Appropriate Ignorance?

A couple of months ago, I had written a blog post about ignorance. Ignorance is probably the one thing I can say that I absolutely loath beyond belief. A quote I heard from watching the old TV show The Facts of Life, Geri Warner said "Questions don't hurt, ignorance does." After her cousin Blair got all embarrassed for Tooty asking all these questions about Geri's cerebral palsy, Geri didn't mind answering any questions and was open about her handicap.

I have always been one of those blunt people to just go out in the open and ask any question that I have on my mind. People would like at me and be like "What is WRONG with you!?" as if asking such a question was a sin! But you'd be surprised how much people appreciate blunt honesty of someone asking a question about something because they don't know something. I have tried very hard to live by this: If I don't know what I am talking about, I keep my mouth shut, because silence can be the best answer. But if I don't know something, I better ask about it so I can properly act or speak.

In my last blog about ignorance, I talked about how ignorance hurts. And boy does ignorance hurt. When people just act and behave completely based on what they THINK they know and it is completely false. That goes to making judgments and holding grudges. When people go out of their way to act in a particular way against someone based on false accusations or distorted opinions, it hurts. I am a victim of that, many of us have been at one time or another. And we need to make sure we treat others the way we wanted to be treated.

HOWEVER! I am finding with most lessons that there is sometimes a time and place, for even the things we dislike. Ignorance being one of them. There is a saying "Ignorance is bliss." I don't like that saying, nor do I agree with it, but I do feel that there very well may be certain times where ignorance may be appropriate. For example, if keeping yourself or others ignorant to an opinion or occurrence will keep peace in a situation, or keep relationships, whether it be with family or friends, alive, then I guess it would be appropriate.

Many would argue that this goes against the notion of wearing a mask and living a lie. Let me clarify. Wearing a mask and living a lie is going through day to day life pretending to feel a certain way, being miserable and acting happy (or vice versa, believe it or not), not being who you truly are, not acting like yourself, and not doing the things that make you YOU. Wearing these masks prevent you from being who you truly are and CAN be, as well as manifesting negativity within you. It hurts, plain and simple.

Keeping yourself ignorant or other ignorant to privy information, as long as it keeps peace and relationships alive does not have the effect of wearing a mask. That is how you can tell when ignorance is appropriate. And the funny part is, ignorance can be the solution to other people's ignorance! Imagine that! Think of the lesson there! And honestly, the more I think about it, that is the base of the lesson. It is appropriate to be ignorant, with the result of keeping peace and relationships alive, when OTHER's ignorant actions and behavior is being painful.

Yours in service,
ANDREW TRENTO