A lot of people say that ignorance is bliss, but what exactly does it mean? Well, the formal definition of ignorance, based on the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is the “lack of knowledge, education, or awareness.” And the definition of bliss is “complete happiness.” I believe the phrase ignorance is bliss, is unique and different for each person, based on their beliefs and circumstances. People compare ignorance to stupidity. Being stupid is acting deliberately on your own terms. You are aware of the way you’re acting. On the other hand, ignorance is based on circumstances. If someone was ignorant with no other means to gain knowledge, then they are truly ignorant. And that's okay because they can't do anything about it. They don't even know the problem exists. But, if someone has the resources to enlighten themselves, and were deliberately acting ignorant, they are acting with stupidity.
A basic human nature is to keep on gaining knowledge, so by deliberately, of your free will, keeping yourself out of knowledge and into a false state of ignorance, you are stupid. “Ignorance is bliss” means something different to each individual. To me, the whole phrase is a sham. If you are completely unaware of something, how could you gain any happiness from it? You cannot gain any happiness from something that doesn't even exist in your world. I believe that if someone were truly ignorant, the lack of knowledge wouldn't affect them at all, positively or negatively.
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But in the end, it simply doesn't matter. Whether you are truly ignorant or making yourself ignorant, it still hurts the world we live in. This world runs on knowledge. From getting into a college to getting job opportunities, and even your status in life. Whether you are rich or poor, or happy or sad. Having more knowledge than someone else always gets you more opportunities. Choosing not to gain knowledge, it's essentially like your choice to live life with a disadvantage. You are handicapping yourself. By not having knowledge, people cannot make smart decisions that will impact the future of not only themselves, but the future of everyone else including future generations to come.
Fear, on the other hand, is completely different than ignorance. Everyone will go through fear in their lives. For example, if you are put into a completely new situation you have never experienced before, no matter who you are, you will be in a state of fear. If you are ignorant, you will have much more to fear than someone else who has gained even the slightest amount of knowledge to prepare themselves. A lack of information to make good decisions can lead to unexpected outcomes, which will create chaos and disorder and lead to fear. Being truly or falsely ignorant is the opposite of bliss because you will be driven by fear when you are dealing with unexpected situations and outcomes.
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