The Burden of Knowledge.

Whom ever came up with the phrase "ignorance is bliss" they were very true. In ignorance you have happiness, a false happiness but happiness none the less. In knowledge you will find nothing but grief and anger. In my case atleast I feel like I know more than those around me but there is no way to help them realize that they are being used by the government that they trust.

Yesterday I was at the park with my girlfiend and i was telling her about how the FDA allows water to be treated with flouride, which is the main ingredient in rat poison and has been shown to cause such things as: brain damage, dental problems, weakness of the bones, and fatigue. So there is no good that comes from using flouride. When I told her this information she brushed it off and said the government isnt trying to poison us. That flouide isnt a poison because even the dentist uses it.

I didnt try to convince her any further I felt I might be wasting my time. So what is the point to knowledge if no one will believe you? what is the point in trying to help those that dont know or believe they need help?

I do realize that when the time comes for our knowledge to come into play the purpose for knowledge will no longer be a burden but a great tool. I wish though, that knowledge would never have to be a burden.

I would rather be burdened with knowledge than blindly following the talking heads on TV, the so called teachers in our schools or the elected elite who waste no opportunity to screw us.

The burden of knowledge makes my mind very tired ! seriously ! oh and ignorance sometimes is most definetely bliss!

[edit on 15-6-2008 by Lizard1]

It is at least worth considering that we're victims of 'the grass is always greener'. I have often fantasized about being a clueless idiot. However, reflecting back upon life prior to my exposure to alternative information and thought, I think I was bereaved by what felt like a lack of substance to life. And though life was easy and success and prosperity were a given, the state of "knowing" within a closed system was never quite convincing enough. Ya know?

Ignorance is only bliss for short periods of time. Eventually the hard reality you’ve been ignoring will come crashing down on your head like a sword of Damocles that you were pretending was a pretty mobile. Personally, I don’t find the knowledge of the horrible truth to be such a burden. I already know that the vast majority will ‘perish for a lack of knowledge’, all I can do is share what I know. If they don’t have a love for the truth they wont care, and that’s not my bad. I’ve done my part.

I just wish everyone would not be so ignorant, I wish they would all be open to alternative points of view and at the very least consider that "yes flouride in drinking water is not such a great idea". It bugs me that my trying to help them understand the governments policies are bad is almost ALWAYS reduced to paranoia and stupid conspiracy ramblings. I wish they too would have open minds.

I'm tired of trying to play by their rules
I want to wake up tomorrow not being a sheaple
Bah
Bah

Classic example of brainwashing. Do people often ask you if you've been watching too much X-Files? Chris Carter's swimming in a moneybin off of the payola he made from the real Men in Black: top-level studio heads.

They don't let you remember. Will Smith said that.

Ignorance is like a spell cast over the entire world..

And although you know certain things, and care for certain people, don't get ahead of yourself trying to explain these things and warn people you care about like you described in your original post, or you may soon find yourself being labeled cooky by friends and that girlfriend will become an ex-girlfriend. Then she will refer to you as her crazy ex who was into all that conspiracy theory stuff.

And make sure you never mention Reptilians, Planet X, Nibiru, etc. 2012 is pretty bad but its more common knowledge among teens these days, not the truth behind the date but the date itself. I thought the notion of Reptilian shape-shifters was utterly absurd, and told my ex about it once in a way that showed just how little I believed it, kind of like a "check this crazy thing out" type of communication. She started joking on me saying I believed in Reptilians even though from the get-go I clearly stated I thought it was absurd and was just sharing it with her to be like .. what the heck ..

It's not the reason we broke up, but I am just saying i learned quickly not to share info with her. At this point I realize how clueless, dull, dense and materialistic she really is. her whole life revolves around image and material. Kind of sad / pathetic..

.. and I only say that because I've been there, in self-righteous conceit with her. but I found her with a broken, undeveloped ego, or should I say malformed ego .. and felt it was my duty to make her realize her true beauty and potential.

She took it a little too far, and is still stuck in that conceited phase. Maybe one day she will get over all of it, maybe she wont.

[edit on 6/15/2008 by runetang]

They should change it to - wisdom is bliss. The simple answer is you have knowledge, but lack wisdom. For in wisdom, you will find peace.

So my question is, are we better off having knowledge but being completely helpless to stop any of it? Who will live a better life, the guy who ignorantly goes about his entire life thinking that everything is hunky-dory or the person that goes their entire life knowing that the entire world is being screwed six ways to Sunday with no recourse?

I think that we make our own reality and in this case, ignorance really is bliss. I think that the ignorant fellow will genuinely live a better, happier life than the informed person. In the end, isn't that what it is all about?

Depressing.

After reading through this thread, this brought to my mind the Old Testament book of Ecclessiastes.
en.wikipedia.org...

It talks about the day to day process of doing the same stuff, striving to do the same things as before, as pointless life seems to be when we ultimately die in the end. Tons of philosophy, you don't have to be a Christian or Jewish to read it and go with the viewpoints. And yes, I found it depressing for a book that's only a few pages long.

Edit: Add this

Utterly senseless" says Qoheleth, "Utterly senseless, everything is senseless!"

[edit on 15-6-2008 by spec_ops_wannabe]

runetang-
Very true what you said. I do know that the mention of topics like reptillians, planet x, and other such topics are a bit much for sheeple (such a crude phrase but thats what they are) to even consider the possibility of notions like that. However I would have thought that the talk of what the government is tying to pull was a believable enough topic. Its not like its hard to believe the government is on one heck of a power trip.

Karlhungis-
At this point in time it seems that the ignorant ones live a better life, but when the time comes for our knowledge to be used then we will be living the better life and the sheeple will look to those that questioned the "man" and all his actions. They will seek help when they know they wont find any help from the government that they trusted soo much. Its sort of a lose lose for both sides, we cant both be happy at the same point in time. Its the balance of the universe.

spec_ops_wannabe-
I havent read it yet but I will, but from your explanation it sounds like its talking about ignorance. Always staying in the same place doing the same thing over and over never wanting to expand and learn. Thats kinda the way the VAST majority of society is, they want to remain comfortable and never change even when the truth calls for action and change they want to remain comfortable in their boxes.

joecamel-
it is the classic example of brainwashing, since birth we are told to listen to authority figures but NEVER question why. Your teacher gives you detention you might not like it but you HAVE to take it. Your mom sends you to your room you might not like it but you HAVE to take it, your government is slowly controlling every aspect of your life you might not like it but you have to take it. Its disgusting.

Its kinda like the Matrix when he took the red(?) pill then later wished he hadnt, but in the end it was the best thing he had ever done for his life and the lives of all those in their little cacoon things.



[edit on 16-6-2008 by caballero]

The burden of knowledge will only be that untill a certain point. It's a steep learningcurve and in the beginning it will slowly show the cesspit of human behavior and depending on wich infotrail you choose to follow it can get pretty distressing. I had it a couple of years ago, i read up about the 9/11 thing, got sucked in and went all panicky about everything.

Only at one point i trailblazed another facet of 'truth', not the conspirative side of life but the more esoteric side of it all and that knowledge eleviates the scary parts of this world . both are different sides of the same coin, it is hidden knowledge that will not be televised on the bigwigs of Medialand. And i like to think that the stuff that is not getting media-attention but is being researched massively by the populace is at least worth thinking about.

[edit on 16-6-2008 by Harman]

I think knowledge only seems like a burden at the beginning, like the toddler learning to walk, or at transitional points like the kid learning to ski...saying "What good is this, my legs are sore!". But it's better to have legs, and to know their tricky uses.
The more you know, the more effective your actions should be, and the more you find yourself fulfilling (or not egregiously failing at) your own code and standards. If you learn something new and your exterior-world-results go worse, you're misapplying the tool, using your new toothbrush for a movie ticket. If you learn something new and you behave worse, then it must contradict something you already had working, and you have to reconcile these items so that what you want to do is what you should do.
I know this sounds trite, let's take the example given: you learn new facts, tell girlfriend, she don't listen, now sadness from facts plus sadness from being disrespected. But it ain't the new knowledge that's bad, it is the catalyst that shows you other things you got to learn,like maybe:
how to manipulate/preach at others effectively
how to recognize if someone you've loved is an inimical soul-stealer, holding you back, imagining you small, a smiling hater warming off of your frustration
how not to live in (your mental picture of) other people's emotions about you
etcetera etcetera or a hundred other scenarios.
Saying knowledge brings sadness reminds me of when they say " Violence never solved anything"...well then you weren't violent enough.
And if knowledge brings sadness you just ain't yet figured out enough.
( But what do I know, these are just my own attitudes, to each his own, right?)

reply to post by Harman


We all had that point before our curiosity got the best of us. I remember I would always believe everything that I had heard from an authority figure until I started asking questions as to why they were always right and I was always wrong.

It was my curiosity that taught me things that they would have never taught me.