Is it wrong to admit one's ignorance. How does the world look upon a person who admits "I do not know". Often, people make this claim of knowledge, most times superficial; and strangely love to bask in the glory of a know-it-all. There are things that are obvious or intuitive for them. How I hate those words? Dig them deep, and you would find that they are as hollow and empty as can be. I am not against being hollow and empty. It is just this simple fact - feigning one's emptiness that is difficult to digest. So, looking at ignorance, it can be classified in two ways.
(a) Destructive ignorance
A case where ignorance is NOT bliss. There are so many wonders and beauties in the world that being ignorant of them would simply amount to losing out on the better ways of life. Again, people who are smug and happy with their present state of affairs and sensibilities would get bored of it all as time progresses. Here, is where the wonders help one in coming back to life. Hence, it would be destructive if one were to ignore "the callings" that would finally lead us out of our mundane vegetating life (a complaint of many). It is how we make out our life to be.
(b) Constructive ignorance
Have you ever wondered or pondered about this. The more and more we get immersed in our passions that have become our ways of life, the more and more we realise as to how ignorant we are. The knowledge out there is a vast ocean. Be it music, technical, other art forms, literature, whatever. What we claim to possess would be one miniscule droplet of water in the ocean. Ignorance unites one and all. The moment, we think that we are perfect, we know-it-all, it is gone. Perfection would always remain an elusive state. "It is hard to improve upon perfection". So, how can one be perfect?
7 comments:
luke: thanks for your comments.
I don't really think that ignorance can have be inherently destructive. From a particular POV, it can't be constructive too. It is simply ignorance which we observe, like a month old babe...
Eroteme: observing ignorance would by itself mean admitting ignorance. half the battle is won. what we chose to do with the enthusiasm or frustration is the other half of the battle.
But the frustration or enthusiasm is not related to the ignorance per se. It is our reaction to finding ourselves in the void. Its like how one is ignorant about one's financial standing in the industry. Till you find out, your salary is sufficient. Once you get to know that so-n-so earns 20% more than you, then how you react is not a consequence of your ignorance. How one reacts to ignorance is a very personal matter and is not a mere function of ignorance.
Eroteme: you have touched on a very sensitive issue of money. that is the case with everything in life. the mind begins to compare no matter what. when we look at people better than us, we get that complex/frustration. when we look at people lesser fortunate than us, we get that false sense of contentment.
I completely agree with you about the personal nature of ignorance, what ignorance means to us, and what we can do so about it.
But nevertheless, deep down there, I get the feeling that perfection or the complete annihilation of ignorance would always remain an elusive state. Who are we to claim to know-it-all, when there are so many people better than us, in almost every walk of life. All that we can do, is to hope and reach out to our own selves to get that essential contentment and bliss.
I dont know if I have made myself clear out here, or have successfully managed to reply to your comment.
Ignorance...well...well...interesting. Btw, i think its ok to say "i dont know". I would infact take thar answer as a reflection of character upon that person...that he/she is honest enough. Of course, if he/she is expected to know something and ends up not knowing it...no excuses.
Maharaj: Why should it be expected of that person to know that some thing? Why cannot a person admit ignorance when he/she is fully ignorant of the same. Often, it so happens, dig them more and you would encounter the pretence and veneer of a know-it-all, which could be utterly disgusting.
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