Ignorance:

noun

1. lack of knowledge or information.

Ignorance is bliss:

proverb

1. if you do not know about something, you do not worry about it.

When I hear the term "ignorance is bliss" I get angry. I understand that people think it's easier to stay ignorant; if you don't know then you can't be held accountable, but how is that better? Maybe it's my love of learning or maybe being a part of a faith that encourages investigation and deeper thinking, but ignorance seems irresponsible and generally just wrong. I would like to note that "blissfully unaware" is not the only form of ignorance, nor do I believe it to be the most infuriating one. I am most irritated by those who argue things they do not know about.

I have noticed that my generation is big on taking stances. Everyone has an opinion and everyone needs to voice it. I am not suggesting that voicing opinions or grievances are bad things, because it is a constitutional right that I support, what I am suggesting is people learn about the issues fully before they get upset about it.

Personally, I do not like to share my political opinions on social media however I respect that isn't necessarily a common decision. The other day I saw someone share a video on Facebook about Israel's choice to use desalinization in order to combat their drought issues. The video was accompanied by the person's angry observation that Israel has access to water but refuses to supply Palestine with it.

Typically I don't let people's posts bother me too much, I admit I am not as versed in certain issues as I maybe should be and therefore believe I should not take offense to what others say about things, however, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one I know quite a bit about. Right off the bat, I knew this person did not know the details of this particular upset in the Middle East because the comment was based around general assumptions about the conflict. I respect the person's right to say whatever they want and assume whatever they want, but everyone knows what they say happens when you assume...

My anger about the comment was followed by sadness. This whole situation made me think that people argue things just for the sake of arguing, not to make a point or encourage a change. When a person writes obviously angry and uninformed statements, they don't seem intelligent and they aren't necessarily getting people to see things from their perspective. Instead, they seem like unnecessarily angry and unfortunately, sometimes even unintelligent people.

Despite my personal upset I still say: Fight! Argue! Support your causes! But if you do, please do so knowledgeably.