Ignorance is Far From Bliss

Ignorance, whether it be not wearing a seatbelt (ALWAYS WEAR A SEATBELT) or refusing to accept the importance of exams and equally not excepting that they are not the most important thing in the world, will never be a good thing. I'd say everyone is ignorant towards something and it could be big or small; one thing or lots of things. Most of the time, it would seem that ignorance is far from bliss.

I don't believe that ignorance is the same as being naïve or having a positive mind-set. Believing the world is full of lovely people who all have lovely motives isn't ignorance; it could be a bit of a dangerous way of thinking, but all the same, it's not seeing things without thinking and opening the mind to other options, other viewpoints and situations.

Ignorance is when a particular individual doesn't understand something and refuses to even try.

Well, that's what ignorance is in my mind. Being in the outside world, I'd say ignorance is all around. We may not always be in tune to it, - showing that we've almost become ignorant to the notion itself - but it's always there: creeping on the surface of a slightly unstable society. Small, horrible, ignorant comments are made on a daily basis; people picking out things about other people or making a disgusting comment on a broader issue. These can often be quietened with a scowl, letting them know that the wall they've put up that deflects thoughts outside of their small minds is, well...ignorant.

This is becoming a rant. Reel it back, reel it back.

It seems that sometimes, when an issue is a little abstract to an individual, they cling to their thoughts; the views and opinions that they had before becoming a safety net once the abstract idea becomes a little more real. Maybe they saw the reality of a situation that they would have made a small-minded comment about and after seeing proof, hearing the other side, they retreated back into their mind; their secure, ignorant state of thinking.

This is sad, is it not?

So, what am I ignorant about? I would say that being someone who has been brought up in a time where movements such as gay marriage (which once would have been unthinkable) are rarely met with a stunned expression, that I'm not ignorant to "modern"* ideas. I feel grateful for this. I'm definitely ignorant to the other opinion on such issues and although I do not consider this a flaw, it makes me a little too feisty when explaining my side (cough, the right side) of the argument.

I've gone off on a tangent again and I can't wheel myself back to the point I was making. My ignorance. Well, I'm a teenager and so naturally (this very statement has undertones of bitterness and ignorance) I can't always see my parent's side. I'm a kid with the utmost respect for my parents and I expect them to see this when they think I'm the devil child and can't understand that they don't trust my judgement. Now, this is ignorance. I know it is. They want me safe, they want me free from harm and I can't always open my mind up to the danger that they see. Knowing myself and my limitations, I wouldn't say this is particularly harmful, but I should probably sit back and allow my parents to feel comfort by me agreeing to their argument.

Some ignorance, however, is dangerous and this danger is mostly sparked from, well, opinions.

So, I roll my eyes and sigh. Before expressing an opinion, allowing yourself to say something that may harm people more than you know, realise that you may not be educated enough on the subject to speak about it. Do you know the whole story? Maybe you don't have a relative or someone close to you going through the sad topic in mind, but someone else might. Heck, you may be preaching, shouting your ill-informed opinions to a person going through something that you refuse to understand. Ignorance isn't bliss. Ignorance is plain stupid.

Tea & Biscuits,

The Girl in the Moonlight.

*Please note that these movements should by no means be considered modern; I simply mean that they are new in the spectrum of things and this sucks!