I have a question for all of you to think about today: Is ignorance truly bliss? Would you, want to learn the dreary language of France? Taking many years to sit at a desk, slurring in broken French: verbs, adjectives, names, things we did last year. Is it even worth it to learn a phrase like ‘Je ne parle pas Francais’? No, because it is nothing to us. Unless we are planning to live in France, why should we spend our years wasting our time for something barely applicable in the future? Would you, want to know how the debt-ridden Greece came to be; How its bankruptcy will soon cause them to leave the Eurozone and set a precedent for other countries to follow in its darkened path, forcing the banks into a deep recession? No, because it simply doesn’t affect us, does it? The people of Greece have decided their fate on their own, avoiding taxes and voting ‘NO’. We have our own currency. We have our own work. We have our own debts; we shouldn’t have to care whatever impoverished country is doing out there. Would you, want to know that twenty-one ISIS beheading were released onto the internet, and in those beheadings were journalists in their quest for truth, humanitarians who dedicated their lives to the welfare of others, soldiers who tried to fight for a better place; young, seven …show more content…
How can we break this void of unenlightenment? We can light the beacon of wisdom, leading the charge against the abyss; we can teach young children to be lighthouses for today’s tomorrow, but that is not necessary. All we have to do is enquire. You’d be surprised at that complexity: None. So when we finish, I want us to enquire. Fill our voids with brilliance: Research these problems in the world; experience different cultures; denounce any wrong presumptions; acquire simple understanding of how things work if you’re lazy. As long as we do not blockade ourselves in denial and believe, we can better ourselves as a person and truly change the world. Thank
"Europe must prevent Greece from becoming an out-and-out catastrophe and make sure that the same fiscal 'remedy' is not applied to other weak economies" -- MEP, Franziska Brantner.
We say ignorance isn't bliss because we know it's not ? or that it should not be, but Being ignorant to something allows it to be ignored and not thought about or worried and stressed over. To live ignorantly is to live peacefully unaware. Issues that you are not
Ideas and beliefs are continuously developing within and impressing upon the human minds that navigate this life. The character of an individual is under constant influence from the world, which leads many people to group together and relinquish their idiosyncratic mentality for the ease and comfort of a hive mind. It is easy for governments or other powers to mentally imprison the general public in a condition of ignorance by withholding information and offering regulated data. Creativity and independent thought are limited for victims in this state of unintelligence, and one becomes blind to truths that are only available to those with the capacity to think for themselves. Entire oblivious communities become enveloped in mental incapacity, which is subsequently inherited by following generations, and innocent children are molded into a product of their environment.
Class of 2012, we've finally made it, but not without the help of our parents, teachers and mentors along the way. Maybe what they did for us was that they were a good rudder and we're the ship, and they got us to the sea where we remember who we are. Because we all get in that fog, where we forget who we are or what we're about, we get overwhelmed. I mean I've been there plenty of times in my life. But we're not going to remember most of our lives until the end. But we will remember certain moments. Maybe it's our first 4.0 report card, maybe it's our first 100 percent biology test, maybe it's our first homerun, our first touchdown. Whatever it may be, it will stay with us forever. Many of us have been together through elementary, middle and high school, and we have all had to work hard and remain focused to be where we are today. All change happens in a minute. Your life changes in a moment. Something triggers you and you finally make a decision and it all shifts. As years go by, your body is going to change, your relationships are going to change, your attitude is going to change. Change is automatic, but progress is not. Our progress has brought us here tonight, and tonight will become one of those moments that we will cherish forever.
People believe that they are “wise” when they “know” something. A common member of society most often feels that knowledge enables people to feel powerful and misknowledge shows a certain weakness. Thurman explained, “Being right means that the world affirms us in what we think we know. ‘Knowing’ something is a way of controlling it, being able to put it in its proper place in relation to us so that we can use it effectively… So, knowledge is power, in the sense that it empowers us to act successfully. Misknowledge… is weakness, in the sense that our action may fail in their aim, backfire, or have unintended consequences. Knowledge is security, in that we know our vulnerabilities and can avoid harm. Misknowledge is danger, in that we don 't know what others might do to us or what traps may await us. We therefore feel powerful and secure when were right, weak and vulnerable when were wrong” (Thurman 446). Thurman took a distinctive approach and taught that not knowing meant obtaining freedom and achieving wisdom. Thurman taught, “… the Buddha discovered that this most certain knowledge of the ‘self’ is actually ‘misknowledge’—a fundamental misunderstanding, a delusion. And what 's more, he realized that this discovery was the key to liberation, the gateway to enlightenment” (Thurman 447). From a social standpoint, “wisdom” allows people to obtain a certain knowledge of themselves and in this way, acquire freedom. Once this “wisdom” is gained, one becomes selfless and allows him or her self to be a greater part of
Ignorance is bliss as one who is ignorant does not fully understand all the issues occurring around him or her and is therefore somewhat innocent to them. In “Revelation”, by Flannery O’Conner, the main character Mrs. Turpin is ignorant of the fact she is the same as everyone else, but she has different classifications of people of which she is of the higher category. O’Connor uses “Revelation” as a tool to represent people who are both ignorant and not ignorant and what it almost takes for some people to fully overcome ignorance.
In Oedipus the King, Oedipus seeks out knowledge and truth, even though he is warned not to mess with the oracles. However, he is determined to uncover the mystery behind the murder of Laius and to learn the origins of his own identity. But was he better off not knowing? Is ignorance bliss? People seek to understand things that go beyond their capability to understand. Obvious examples would be sudden deaths or unforeseen disasters. No one wants to feel like a victim of fate, but know one can answer questions like: is there a God? When someone believes they have an answer to a question that isn’t built on fact but rather on faith, then they are the epitome of arrogance. We see this today in religion, politics, science, and even relationships.
“ How could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?” (Plato,657). We are born ignorant. Ever since we were kids, we were told by adults about the facts of life, about what is wrong and what is right and what the reality is based on what was passed down to them. Little by little, we are being molded based on someone’s idea, someone’s perception and someone’s definition about reality. As kids, we ask a lot of questions. We try to question things because we are curious, because want to understand how things work. Asking questions lead our world to where it is now. More things are discovered with questions and efforts to find the answers. We ask questions in search for the truth, but the moment we stop asking it and just take in whatever we have in front of us is the moment we allow ignorance to take over our lives. In Plato’s essay “Allegory of the cave, he represented human beings as prisoners on the cave, he explains how humans see reality based on figures projected from the fire behind them. Plato’s idea about ignorance portrays how human beings are trapped in smaller worlds defined by society government and religion.
Our knowledge is a key to our success and happiness in our life to give us personal satisfaction. Knowledge is power but not always. Sometimes our self-awareness and growth as an individual gives us negative thoughts that make us want to go back to undo it. Everyone wants to unlearn a part in our life that brought us pain and problems. Good or bad experiences brought by true wisdom can be used for our self-acceptance, self-fulfillment and these experiences would make us stronger as we walk to the road of our so called “life”, but Douglas’s and my experience about knowledge confirmed his belief that “Knowledge is a curse”. Both of us felt frustrated and sad from learning knowledge.
To see or not to see, that is the real question. Is ignorance really bliss? Is the truth really worth it? And isn’t that ironic? The motif of sight and blindness is used in the classic Greek tragedy, Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, to emphasize ignorance, knowledge, and to have a sense of irony in the character of Tiresias.
The Veil of Ignorance erases everything you know about yourself; political beliefs, position in society, sex, race, and even your inherited abilities; behind this all persons are truly equal. However, every individual does retain
Michelis, L. (2011). The Greek Debt Crisis: Suggested Solutions and Reforms. The Rimini Centre Economic Analysis (RECEA), Italy.
As we look back on our past we inevitably lose sight of our future, yet as we gaze into the future it seems so difficult to enjoy the present. Some say that we should live for the moment but they're so commonly the ones always whining about the unforeseen. Other say to live for a purpose, they seem inevitably to mean that you should neglect what's truly important in life in the name of money, power and fame. Uncle Sam says to live for your country, but that seems so commonly synonymous with dying for it, and if you do, you are a hero in my eyes.
The Greek crisis is a result of an accumulation of dire policy mistakes. It all began when the previous Greek governments decided not to reveal their debts and deficits in order to fulfill the necessary requirements for the membership of the Eurozone. Furthermore, the government consisted of mass tax evasion as well as corruption. In 2009, the newly elected Greek government decided to expose the real debt and deficits’ figures, which brought much speculative waves regarding the economy. At the moment (since 2010) a number of organizations and countries are providing the Greek state with assistance in regards to alleviating their government debt. International organizations, such as the International Monetary Fund and the European Governing body, the European Union, are undergoing a set of policies designed to assist Greece in its debt crisis. One of the main supporters of the Greek economy is German...
Cypher seems to suggest that there are times when ignorance is bliss, and one is better off maintaining a positive illusion than facing a hard truth that one is not ready to accept. His statement could also be viewed as rigid close-mindedness, a non-willingness to see reality for what it is; a refusal to consider conflicting ideas based on a desire to maintain one’s beliefs. Generally, The Matrix raises a profound question as to why human beings want to know the truth. This paper will argue why one cannot be justified in choosing the “bliss of ignorance.”