IGNORANCE

IGNORANCE

As I mulled over the word ignorance, I came to a place of thinking; what is the opposite of the word? Sometimes when thoughts like this come to mind, I stop and examine my definition… in this case -ignorance. Is it a lack of knowledge, education? Or the lack of understanding something specific? Is it these and more? I dug a little deeper and discovered that ignorance can be categorized – simply not knowing, willfully ignoring information to remain uninformed, rationalizing whether the cost of knowing outweighs the benefit of the knowledge, and enlightened ignorance which propels one to learn.

I was no closer to knowing the opposite of ignorance. What I understood was that ignorance and stupidity are not the same - not knowing or refusing to know or acknowledge what is known versus the capacity to comprehend. I understood in a new way that ignorance is alive and doing quite well in our culture … a culture where knowledge is literally at every fingertip all the time. I acknowledge that all suffer with some degree of ignorance about many things.

The question that I am left to reckon with in this season as I chase after my healthiest, happiest, and strongest self; what role does ignorance coupled with a plethora of knowledge play in that pursuit?

HERE’S WHAT I KNOW – I cannot know everything about the paths that will help me reach my goal. For example, I cannot know without genetic testing if I am one of 2 to 14 percent of the population who are poor metabolizers, leading to situations where the metabolism of things like medication are slowed. Were I willing to pay out of pocket for genetic testing, I could find out. Learning that the need for protein increases with age has been the catalyst to increase my intake while trying to keep a handle on my weight. Do you know how difficult it is to consume 30 to 35 grams of protein per meal?

There is an adage, “ignorance is bliss,” suggesting if you don’t know, you can’t care and everything will be all right because you didn’t know. That is not true. What one doesn’t know can hurt.

If there is an opposite to ignorance, it is an awareness of knowledge or lack thereof that acts as a catalyst to do and be different. I was looking for a single word. Perhaps the word is knowingness. What do you think?

Hosea 4:6

PONDER THIS THOUGHT ---Ignorance is bliss or not.

SHERMAN'S ENDEAVOR