Day 128 Question 128:

What do you admit to being ignorant about?

For a long time I was unsure whether or not the phrase “Ignorance is Bliss” was really true.  I wasn’t sure if I believed it or whether the words were just complete fluff.  How can ignorance possibly be bliss.  It finally dawned on me one day…like being struck in the head with an anvil…that ignorance absolutely is bliss.  How many ignorant people have you encountered in your life that will admit that they are ignorant….that can admit that they are ignorant and are happy about being ignorant.  I am sure very few are.  Therefore they are living in a state of bliss unaware of their ignorance…happy with their way of thinking and their actions in life.  Ignorance is a wide open concept though….it is almost one of those things that can only be defined by each individual person.  I, personally, see ignorance as people that openly hurt people and having no remorse or people that choose to stop learning…especially this day and age.  Ignorance is choosing to close yourself into a box and not let in any other points of views and opinions other than your own.  We sometimes choose to be ignorant to avoid pain and heartache though…which can be understandable.  Many people choose not to watch the news because they are tired of hearing about all of the awful things in the world…violence, murders, war, etc….this could be considered happily ignorant.  People choose not to see the bad…and I can understand that.  Either way you look at it, yes ignorance is bliss.

Have I ever been ignorant?  Of course I have.  Everyone has at some time in their life.  It is one of those things though that you tend not to see until afterwards….hindsight is 20/20 right????  I believe we learn very early on as children the concept of manipulation.  Some people become masters of manipulation well into their adult years.  Manipulation and ignorance go hand in hand if you were to ask me.  Trust me, I am not pointing fingers just outward….I have pointed my fingers right in my own direction.  I have manipulated several times throughout my life and that is nothing to be proud of but I am an honest woman and I promised you I would spill all of my beans in this blog.  I have been ignorant far too many times than I would like to admit.  I have treated people poorly that I know didn’t deserve it.  I have knowingly taken advantage of people and there is nothing right about that.  I have known what the right thing to do was and still chose a different direction.  Yes I have been ignorant.  I would like to think that I have come leaps and bounds and have made a lot more wise and beneficial decisions in these past couple of years….hell in these last few months.  I believe I am not quite so ignorant nowadays….at least I don’t think so….maybe that is why I feel so blissful (wink wink).

I started this entry with something in particular in mind.  I chose this topic because today I realized I have been ignorant about something.  For school we are working through a chapter in my case studies book that focuses on counseling individuals with disabilities/special needs.  I have no problem in the world with people that have disabilities/special needs….it is not their fault for whatever “problems” they may have.  My ignorance came from being able to see them as (for lack of a better word) complete people.  In a heartbeat I would speak to someone or have a conversation/spend time with someone that was disabled or had special needs but in the back of my mind and in my heart I would have a sense of sorrow.  I would feel that it was unfair that this person does not have a “normal” life.  This is an ignorant way of thinking because these people might LOVE life.  They may not even see their disability and they may live in a manner that exceeds my expectations.  I hang my head in saying that in many cases I would look at these people with pity because it seemed to me that they were dealt and unfair hand.  I do realize that some people’s handicaps and disabilities are worse than others but I am uneducated when it comes to knowing what people experience when they have certain disabilities and handicaps.  I instead chose to believe that they must be unhappy and always feel at a disadvantage.  I detest when people have a victim mentality and here I have been for so long making these people victims when they are not even making themselves victims.

Today, just by reading a short chapter in my school book, I had a bright light shining right in my face.  I was so ignorant when it came to knowing anything about individuals with disabilities/handicaps.  Before I would have written the words disabled individuals but by reading what I did, I realized that when you describe someone in that manner it is as if you are giving them a title that is the main thing about them…they are only there disability/handicap.  There could not be anything farther from the truth.  I should know better and today I got a wake up call….which I am thankful for.  There is a young girl that goes to my gym (I would guess her to be 18 or 19) that is wheelchair bound (I believe she has cerebral palsy).  This girl rocks out at the gym at least 4 days a week and to watch her get around is awesome…pulling herself on and off of pieces of equipment.  She has this great energy and this great rapport with the staff and members at the gym.  This girl is so much more than her handicap.  She just happens to have something different than most people…and I am sure she does not want it talked about in every conversation she has…I mean would you want someone to constantly be bringing up your “faults” all of the time???  I have had body image issues for years upon years…it is the last thing I want to talk about.  It is all the same and it was this school unit that needed to give me that big realization slap in the face.

I believe ignorance is inevitable.  It is one of those things that I hope people eventually come to grips with and change when necessary.  Ignorance may be blissful to the individual but it can be really damaging to the majority.  I may be completely off base when it comes to really understanding what ignorance…but honestly I don’t really understand the definitions of many things.  There are too many things that cannot be defined to a population….they must be defined individually.  I believe ignorance is one of those things.  My question to my readers (because I want to know and to learn from you) is: what is ignorance in your eyes?  Are you ignorant or have you been throughout your life?  Have you changed due to these ignorances?

I wanted to take this opportunity (which I try to as often as possible) to say thank you again to my readers.  I am unsure if many of you are aware but you have been my mentors and my teachers since I have begun on this journey.  You have given me strength and given me drive to push myself farther than I ever thought possible.  You have opened up your hearts and your “virtual homes” to teach me about a world outside of just my own….you have taught me a lot about this big beautiful world.  I cannot thank you enough.