To Ignor or not to ignore... by Jamie Soo Siew Yuin

The well-known proverb “Ignorance is bliss” suggests that people with knowledge of the world’s complexities and its limitations are often unhappy, while their less-knowledgeable counterparts lead lives that are antithetical to theirs. However, a recent study showed that well-informed people were more likely to have a sense of well-being. In fact, more knowledge leads people to fell better about themselves and more satisfied with their lives.
Last Wednesday was the “Science and Maths Day” organized as an annual event by INTEC. Having registered to be involved in the constellation section of the ATUSA Space Tunnel, I found myself roped in to help out on Tuesday after school until the wee hours of the morning. Unbeknownst to me, I was caught up in a misunderstanding due to communication incoherence.
The issue was that the art director of the constellation section was supposed to purchase black cloth (used to make the tunnel dark) for another section of the space tunnel but in turned out that she did not receive the message and in ended up both parties not being able to start work until the black cloth arrived. Hearing the heated argument taking place between the seniors in charge, I was told by my friend to “not care”. This had me jarred; I was completely taken aback by how casually he said it.
In the first place, people think that ignorance is bliss because if you do not know anything, you cannot get hurt by it. When we are children, we go about our daily life being ourselves; when we are all grown up, we lose ours true selves, all in the name of adjusting to what is known as societal norms and rules. With the knowledge gained through growing up, we become increasingly aware of the pain and suffering faced by others in the world as we gain insight and judgment, ergo we lose innocence, becoming less blissful.
The other day I came across a quote of the philosopher Sophocles in the newspaper, 'For ignorance provides the happiest life'. How does he define 'happiest', one wonders? Is it going about your everyday life not knowing why things are the way they are? Are people happy because they feel that what they see is what they get, without the urge to delve into it more? If people are ignorant, the world will not seem a better place simply because they are oblivious to the pressing global issues or those that threaten society. Is it merely a simpler life people want to lead without so many complications?
I disagree that ignorance is bliss. How, I ask is being uneducated bliss? Is being unaware bliss? If ignorance truly is bliss, why are wars started over religion when no one knows the truth? Why are people beaten up for having different skin colors? Knowledge helps us to know what is happening in this world, to be aware of the differences, to be informed and to be satisfied. Imagine growing up without knowing that poverty exists, people will never be satisfied because they will always want more and never stop to think how lucky they are compared to others. People too will be unsympathetic, worrying only of their own problems, disregarding altruism.
In the end, I asked the people involved about the problem urged them to solve it. I feel that they should just solve the problem in the fist place instead of leaping at each other. Had I not asked, I probably would not even know what happened and it would be a waste because to think that I joined in the project just to be a worker - to put up the decorations and go home to sleep, where would all the fun be? Fun lies in the journey and experience, not the end product.
Regardless of which path you choose, knowing how to deal with people, problems and issues that arise is essential. Ignoring a problem does not make it go away. Shutting them out limits our lives. While others who have attained all that they have ever wanted think ignorance is bliss, we have not, and leading a simple and uninformed life would not make us happy because we will always “want to know”, it is human nature.To acquire true bliss, we need to open our minds to new things, and not shut it down, blindly clutching onto a non-existing ignorance. We need to step outside our comfort zones, abandon oblivion, as this is the only way we can broaden our horizons, and give ourselves golden opportunities to find real and fulfilling bliss