"Ignorance is bliss." What exactly does this mean? It's such an easy cliché to say and even to understand-- that is if you take it lightly. Yet, "ignorance is bliss" is so complex. Sometimes I think we thrive on realizing that if we don't know about something, we don't have to worry about it. What we don't know, won't hurt us. If it doesn't affect us, why should we care? Etcetera etcetera. Not having to stress about something that's not occurring in our immediate lives is blissful, yet so willfully ignorant.

As 2016 is quickly coming to an end, I've reflected on all the craziness (that I'm aware of) that has happened all over the world, in my family and friends' lives, and in my own life. I've spent this entire year being attentive to things I wanted to understand apart from social issues and the election season. And as I indulged in adulthood on my own, I simply wanted to comprehend how this cycle of life works. I can easily skate through my life being a working class citizen, getting my degree, and leading a "normal" life, despite the mild struggles, and just allow time to lead the way. It's so easy to tune out those things that don't affect me like the Dakota Access Pipeline or the Flint Water Crisis. I live in Colorado Springs where so much is happening-both good and bad- yet I have the capability to stay in my little bubble where I have potable water, a heated house, and mace isn't being sprayed in my face. I can turn the news on or off and I can choose to read the news from the comfort of my bed, because I'm not the news and they would never know. The truth is, this "cycle of life" is not as cut and dry as it seems on TV or in movies. It's complex in every sense of the word. Choosing to be ignorant about it does not make it any less complex or important, so why ignore it? Why not try to understand why people do or don't want to vaccinate their children, or why people criticize an education system focused on test-taking versus developing hard skills? Why not try to understand the issues involving racism and socioeconomic class systems? Or why mental health is a growing concern for adolescents and college students? These things are what drive us to make being a tiny spectacle on Earth worth it.

I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that yes, ignorance is bliss. However, once you are exposed to something going on in the world, you have two options: going about your merry-way or doing something about it. Doing something about it doesn't mean that you have to quit your job and dedicate your life to fixing a problem, but you can spread awareness. You can educate yourself. And you can have conversations. It's understandable to not want to indulge in world crises. I get it. However, sometimes we, as human beings, need to step outside of our cozy, pampered bubbles and pay-the-f***-attention. With that said, I realize that not everyone has the means to simply "pay attention," but if you do, then you should. The more we know and comprehend, the more those less fortunate than us will know and comprehend.

We're only as blind to these things as we want to be.