Many of us have heard the adage, "ignorance is bliss." The saying insinuates that it is better not to know than to know because as long as you don't know, you can continue to live in a bubble of euphoria. Sure, in certain situations, ignorance is bliss or as some say, "no news is good news." In certain situations it is better not to know and continue to live in a blissful state created on the premise of ignorance; however, too many people use that proverb as an excuse to shirk off responsibility.
For the sake of clarification it is important to note that ignorance is defined as lacking knowledge or awareness in general; uneducated or unsophisticated. An uneducated person is ignorant. Too often we confuse ignorant with rude, which may be because more times than not an ignorant person comes across as rude due to their lack of knowledge on a subject.
During the Democratic National Convention, the father of a Muslim-American soldier, who was killed by a suicide bomber in Baghdad, spoke. Khizr Khan, the slain soldier's father, asked many questions of Donald Trump. The most significant, in my opinion, being "have you even read the United States Constitution?" He proceeded to pull a pocket-size copy of the Constitution from his pocket and offered to lend it to Mr. Trump. His point was that Mr. Trump could no longer continue to bask in the bliss of his ignorance; he could no longer continue to be ignorant. He was proving that Donald Trump no longer had an excuse to continue to be ignorant.
When I was in high school I took an AP Government class. I learned a lot, but I wish I had paid more attention because I know I could have learned a lot more. However, I did take away one important life lesson: you have no excuse to be ignorant. Before the class started we were required to read the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. We also were given a pocket-size Constitution and we were told that next to the Bible, it was the 2nd most important piece of writing/literature that we will ever own. Over the years I have held on to my copy of the constitution.
If it wasn't for that class, I probably never would have read the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution, which I am admittedly ashamed of. As an American citizen, it should be a requirement that everyone reads it and knows what is laid out and promised to them. Both documents hold so many truths and explanations that when you really take the time to sit down and read them you begin to understand why the government is set up the way it is and why certain things happen how they do. If you want to use these document as a reason to do the things you are doing, you should know what they really say, not just the parts that support your activity. Too many people use them as a crutch to support their right to protest or their right to have a gun, but they have no idea what else these documents say. You can't just use them to support the things you want them to and to do so undermines the integrity of these documents.
We live in an age where it is no longer acceptable to be ignorant and uninformed. If you were never given the opportunity to read the Declaration of Independence or Constitution, take it upon yourself to do so. If you find yourself in conversations where you are lost about what they are talking about, take the time to sit down and read and research. Educate yourself. Read. Learn. Ask questions.
Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance is unacceptable. We live in a time where we literally hold the world at our fingertips. We google everything, and I mean everything. I can't even begin to tell you how many questions I have asked Google. My dad even frequently will say in conversation, "can you look this up on Google for me?" It takes us absolutely no time to find the things we are looking for. We no longer have an excuse to support our justification of ignorance.
With the election coming up, it is imperative that we take the time to research and read about the issues at hand and the candidates. It is necessary that we stop blaming our ignorance and start stepping up and educating ourselves. Too many people stand behind the notion that they were never taught or they didn't know. That is not an excuse; it's a cop out and it is unacceptable.
It is appalling how many people say they aren't going to vote because they don't know anything about politics. You don't need to be a politician to vote. You didn't need to major in political science to vote. You literally don't even need to understand anything about politics to vote. You need to know about yourself: where your views lie, what issues matter to you, what stance you take on specific issues. Then you can decide which party or which candidate you most closely align with. The election is literally set up in a way that someone who knows nothing about politics can vote and have their voice heard. That is the whole purpose of elections. We vote for those who know more than we do, who are more qualified than we are.
Ignorance is an unacceptable excuse used by people who are too lazy and apathetic to change their current state of affairs, and this does not just apply to the election. People use ignorance as an excuse in their everyday lives. We didn't know we were breaking the law. We didn't know that eating junk food every day was going to lead to heart disease. We didn't know. Except we did know, but we also knew that if we plead ignorance then we would get away with it.
Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance is a pathetic excuse used by people who want a reason to justify their lackadaisical lifestyle and choices. Ignorance is used by people who would much rather complain about their current state of affairs, rather than make the necessary changes to improve their life. I urge you to take the time to educate yourself. Figure out what you support and what you stand for, not just for the election, but life in general. You will be a better person for it.
For those who are interested in learning more, below are links to a few sources to get you started including the declaration, constitution and bill of rights.
