To confront reality means we have to deal with it. And it’s often much easier to just keep our heads in the sand. But our blissful ignorance doesn’t change what is true and we will pay the cost one way or another.
There’s some truth to the saying ignorance is bliss.
The average civilian lives happily unaware of the horrors of war or of the things that go bump in the night.
And generally speaking this is a good thing. We’d overwhelm our souls if we were exposed to every evil, tragedy, and suffering of the world.
Filtering what we consume is part of how we guard our hearts.
But wisely filtering is not the same as ignoring.
While we’re likely happier when we don’t have to address certain realities, ignorance is costly.
For instance, we’d probably be a lot happier if we didn’t pay attention to our bills for a month or two. But this doesn’t change the fact that their still due and our failure to pay would come with a loss of services.
Likewise, avoiding tough conversations, deep relational wounds, or our personal blind spots doesn’t change reality. And eventually we will pay the cost of turning a blind eye.
In the end, truth doesn’t care about our personal preferences or private interpretations. It is what it is and will remain whether we believe it or not.
Choosing to walk blissfully ignorant on the train tracks of our life, as it were, doesn’t change the reality of an approaching train.
And in this sense ignorance is not only costly – it can also kill.
This is why it’s important to befriend reality – doing our due diligence to align our life with what is true.
The bliss of ignorance is not worth the cost.
Courageously deal with the realities before you. Accepting truth is the best path forward.
Photo by Chris Zhang on Unsplash
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