A funny play on words creates the feeling of an epiphany at times. Yet, in the experience of emotions, our brains have a tendency to just feel instead of think. Philosophers and psychologists can debate the existential ideals of that sentence together and have at it. Let’s talk about ignorance.
Ignorance is defined as a lack of knowledge, a lack of understanding, or a lack of education.
I am ignorant of Homological Algebra. I do not have any knowledge of it, I have not been educated concerning it, and therefore I lack an understanding of it. I don’t even know what it means. I am also ignorant in areas of Physics, but I have been educated in parts of the discipline and I do have an understanding of fundamental quantum physics and classical mechanics, I am ignorant of statistical mechanics in all aspects, so I am therefore ignorant concerning the discipline of physics.
When it comes to my areas of “expertise”, I am still ignorant. I hold a BS in Religion and Counseling, a Master of Divinity in Theological Studies, a Master of Theology in Applied Theology, and a Doctor of Philosophy in the same field, and am a Candidate for a Doctor of Ministry in the discipline of exposition pending my final research. Yet, I am no expert at all. Even in all the years of education and personal learning, I am still unaware of many aspects of these disciplines. For those who have followed an academic path, you know all too well that when you’re done, you are barely even qualified in the field. The educational experience is so myopic and focused that it ignores (the root of ignorance) a majority of the material in any field.
So, let’s make a suggestion.
Every person that is alive today or ever is in a state of ignorance.
That’s ok. We can’t know everything and we cannot be so absorbed in one thing that we forget other things and ideas exist. I think a lot about thinking and believe it is an art, just like physical exercise, the mind needs to work, not just go with the flow. There are times when ignorance is bliss, especially when it comes to the dark and wicked things of the world. We should not go searching for that as an interest because it poisons our minds. Yet, there are some people who must for the sake of justice. Another aspect of blissful ignorance is that there are so many aspects of knowledge in every context that we would go mad if we pursued them and worse if we really knew. It’s like not knowing if the restaurant kitchen is clean or if the waiter washed his hands. I like that bliss. And if I do gain that knowledge, let it be before I eat.
Sometimes though, ignorance is blistering. For example, when things are at our feet, on our table, and in our house, deciding to just not see or learn about them is blistering. When we are confronted with new ideas, even if contrary to our worldview, we will get burned if we simply say, “I don’t care.” At the same time, we don’t have to jump into the endless depths of a subject in order to grasp it. There are many people in the world who think they know things but in fact, they do not. These are the ones who often make confident assertions, and then confidently wrong assumptions. Confidently incorrect has been a cultural sub long before Reddit was a thing.
I could opine for days on this issue and for the sake of time and focus, let me share a few areas where I feel I need to remain ignorant and areas where I need to wake up. Let me say, however, that I am an avid reader and learner. I enjoy the trivial as much as the unsearchable depths. Yet, the discipline of wisdom instructs me to manage my mind above everything else because from there, I will be. In 2021 I read over thirty books and hundreds of academic articles in a short period before becoming sick with a systemic infection that I am still suffering from the effects of today. The very nature of that research and the ever-so-confidently ignorant people involved nearly took my life. The outcome of that decision to deep dive did permanently change my life, my wife, and my kids and in hindsight, we are better for it, even if forever changed.
So, the idea of thinking, learning, and doing is not a joke. It is serious because it all has physiological and emotional/psychological consequences. You’ll hear more about that later and the authority behind these assertions that cannot be questioned.
Here are some things I am happy to be ignorant of:
Social Media News – When it comes to social media as a place to live, I have long visited and moved out. I prefer to look at social platforms as a tool for real connection rather than a place I hang out. The latter beholds me to the culture and the prior gives me complete control of what relationships I engage with and why. The same is true with information. I typically always ‘hide’, block, or unfollow posts on any platform that are polemical or so-called “news” about problematic matters. Ignoring opinions is not necessary, but letting them dictate one’s own truth about a particular matter is just idiocy. I have no interest in information that is released on social media for any reason. Is the truth found online? Yes. But a majority of what we see on social media is fake news, especially surrounding politics, health, and science.
Conspiracy Theories – As a Christian I am instructed to put away these types of things and give them no place in my mind. They breed delusional paranoa instead of perceptive reason. While less than one tenthousanth of a percent of the information surrounding these is even plausible, over 98.4% of conspiracy theories are believed by a general populous. And you better fact check that figure, because I just made it up. I shut down any conspiracy discussion from the beginning now by just saying, “I appreciate your interest in these things, but for my own good, I don’t give those things a place in my life. Let’s discuss something else.” Anyone who can’t receive that is not a friend of mine.
Political Fodder – This is not being ignorant of political things, but taking care to not engage in listening to political arguments. Politics are frequently in the aforementioned categories which should tell you something. Just like gossip, these things poison us. We tend to like the childish and blind debates on matters that are insignificant and many who engage is constant political discussion only have a handful of talking points that they speak and even those are usually dumb and processed out of ignorant copypasta rather than reasoned conclusions based on empirical sources. To put my mind here is akin to placing my head in a fire and expecting some benefit. I choose to run from these and the people who love them.
Polemical Opinions/Exposes – Negative people who are always finding or discovering ways to “out” a problem with other people are the pyriahs of society. Communities don’t need these so-called watch dogs and honestly, they do no real good except to build an audience for themselves and for those they wish to destroy. “If you don’t do anything but set something on fire, people will come from miles just to watch it burn.” I don’t know who said it, but it has some truth to it, especially among those types of people who feel justified in tending to the business of others. Unless I am eating it for dinner or about to move someone into my home, I don’t need to know about their evils. And I surely don’t want to fill my head full of useless information that will be irrelevant in three months. Some people never really grow out of a preschool mind and you can tell who they are by the fact that they are always telling on everyone else.
Contrary Truths/Counter Truths – There are necessary moments when these things are good and profitable. When doing research or engaging in philosophical debate or academics, even mathematics, these things are natural parts of the discussion. But when we dig into the ‘nots’ of a particular subject or idea thinking we are learning we are literally becoming more ignorant. There is a SENSE in which what something is not, points to what it is, but if I look at things in this way then I become less ignorant about ignorant things. Learning truth does not require contrary inference until it becomes personally necessary to do so. Otherwise, the contrarians are the brilliant folks… don’t you want to learn something from those people who are always telling everyone what is NOT right? I didn’t think so. I love the bliss of my ignorance on these matters when folks come to talk about all the dummies who think “ZX” is “NN” when I can say, “I don’t know about that at all, but what I do know is….” and move the conversation to something alive and true.
Theological Commentary/Historical Arguments – Some find this odd for me to say with sixteen years of education and twenty-four years of my life have been spent around this discipline, but I grew very tired of theological discussion and debate about ten years ago. It is a hobby of mine, like chess, jazz, and kung fu, but that’s the extent of it. Even among Christians, these discussions are very destructive and have no real application according to the Bible. As a matter of fact, Scripture forbids a follower of Jesus to engage in debates on doctrine, history, and the like as we should be active in serving others and learning the application of God’s grace in our lives instead. These theological debates are for the classroom or for those interested in their personal studies. They are not relative to the learning of Scripture as the Bible just teaches the truth without debate. So learn it right and leave the arguing to the idiots. Yes, the idiots. 🙂 Happy days.
Names of Characters in Movies/Books – I put in practice a long time ago to not watch a movie or read a book to the level of investing interest in the names of the characters. Now some things I remember, but for the most part, when I finish a story or film within a few hours, I have no idea the main character’s name. I started doing this because there was a time I was infatuated with fiction and had a difficult time in my youth escaping the fantasy of the Marvel Universe. I realized that I would give literally hours a week contemplating the hypotheticals of scenarios to the point I was letting something that did not exist give direction to my mind and life. So, now, I just watch, read, and forget. I can tell the story, but don’t ask the names of the people involved and if I’m honest, don’t ask for the title either.
Behavioral Ideologies Inferenced from Religion – Some call it legalism and others call it “Living for God”. I call it, bondage. I’m writing a very long-form paper entitled The Deconstruction of Evangelicalism that I hope to publish next year. It discusses the historical nature of Christian philosophy in America that moved toward cult-like liberalism disguised as conservative orthodoxy. It has infected our culture to a degree that is blinding. Once you see it, it cannot be unseen. To make sure I am not just whining and being a part of the very thing that I want to ignore, my writing is my story, not a story of anyone else or any group per se. More damage and destruction has been done in the name of “god” and “jesus” in my life than any other experience I can speak of. This discovery is nothing new to me, it started in 1989 and has several epochs along the journey. When people begin to tell us how what we think, do, and feel is or isn’t right based on their understanding of some deity, we better have our discrimination glasses well-tuned. In other words, we better know what being a Berian is really about with the Bible out, not social media, commentaries, pundits, polemicists, or politicians. See where I’m going there? I have not one dot of interest in talking morals or ethics from an American Christian point of view. Not one. I suggest you start listening.
Obscene and Disturbing – We all hate to hear bad news but at the same time, there is something oddly attractive to the macabre. I spent my childhood reading Lovecraft, Poe, and other mystery writers. Hitchcock coupled with Romero impacted my thinking as a kid to the point of terror at times. And not just fiction, but real life. I remember watching a video once where a man was attacked by an alligator and a tiger. I didn’t sleep for weeks. Presently it seems that this type of stuff is commonplace and children as young as five have told me about seeing videos of decapitation and immolation. I find that awful. For me, I have a firm rule to not look at things like this. Just like I don’t read anymore about serial killers, destructive acts, or seeking out videos of bodies from a natural disaster. While we are confronted with the general news of such things, going deeper is a prescription for anxiety. Scripture calls me to look and think about what is pure and beneficial for my own good, so, I have a practice of not even wanting to know about things. If a storm kills people it is horrible and worthy of prayer and service. But to readily read accounts of the terror infects my mind with despair.
Any Argument with Idiots – I will leave this one simple. I won’t talk to anyone anymore who is not civil, polite, and patient. And I have no space for anyone who talks about others outside their presence. Not going to happen. This practice alone has saved me much agony. It is a hard line that I have drawn. Included in this are people who decide to cut me out of their lives with no context based on their own emotional interest in being party to arguments with idiots. (I should make a board game by that name) That type of person carries the disease of fickleness and is a danger to the joy of others. Anyone who is unable to calmly engage and believe others deserves the misery of the isolation they suffer. It’s part of what we know as church discipline, that for the believer, it corrects them and they are restored.
Pop Culture Matters – Nope. I have no interest at all in seeing what commonplace famous individuals are doing in their lives. I don’t care about the gross receipts of the newest movie or the hidden messages in the smoke in a cartoon. I couldn’t care less about what symbol is on the coffee cup or which franchise put up a rainbow logo. I am more interested in matters concerning mercy, love, and grace, and seeing lives changed by individual investment and sacrifice in such a way that glorifies the Lord. “Did you hear…” is the opening line of the magnum opus of “A Wasted Breath and Life”. Let it go.
Tomorrow I will post about the things that I DO give time to know and understand. HERE IS PART 2
Until then, let the “yeah buts” ring!
Do you share the same thoughts as some of those on this list? What would you add?
Remember that Ignorance can be blistering but know that knowledge can be death (Genesis 3) just as ignorance can be bliss and knowledge can be life. (John 17)
Which of these resonates with you more than others? What other Yes/No would you put on the list?
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