Ignorance Is Bliss

Sunday I stopped off at my local Starbucks (yup, I'm one of those idiots who pay US$300.00 for a cup of coffee)... anyway, as I was waiting for my coffee, I noticed the music playing overhead. Of course it was Christmas music; that time of year I guess.

Since I grew up in a Christian household, Christmas was an important part of the religion. We celebrated all parts of it including the music. As a result, I am still programmed to get that warm fuzzy feeling when I hear the stuff and this time was no different.

I actually have nothing against most of the music; believe it or not, I actually like music from many religions. Anyway, I was listening to the song and singing along in my mind... until it got to the part of "...Christ was born on Christmas Day."

* cue sound of screeching tires *

My mind could not deal with that outright lie and the warm fuzzy feeling faded quickly. Even most Bible scholars agree that Christ was not “born on Christmas Day.”

This got me thinking. I went from warm and fuzzy to cold and not-so-fuzzy. The lies that are perpetuated by those in religious power are unacceptable. However, a part of me longed for that time where I was more ignorant to such things. That state of being where ignorance bliss; there is something to be said about that.

Now keep in mind that ignorance is the root of most evil in the world today... but for those who are ignorant about the world but still do not judge (a rare bread indeed), I have a small amount of envy. To live a life without being connected to the rest of the world; to be able to have traditions and blindly follow them to the grave without ever feeling like you need to question them... now that would be bliss.

But unfortunately, any bliss one might have would be short-lived as the world is getting smaller by the minute. Even the most remote places are being suberbed into the rest of civilization. And when bliss is interrupted by the rude truth, usually ignorance turns into hatred and then pure evil.

Believe it or not, I actually have nothing against evil. Without evil, there can be no good. Just like a coin that has two sides; it cannot exist without one or the other; humanity cannot exist without good and evil. This is how we have our “soul;” an individuality that allows us to choose the path we follow. Even most religions got this one right.

In Christianity, there is God and Satan; the proverbial “good” and “evil.” However, I prefer to think of them only as Yin and Yang. God cannot exist without Satan and Satan not without God; they actually compliment each other. That, of course, differs from Christianity where their God is to defeat Satan. Notice though, that even their God does not eliminate Satan; he just casts him out.

Anyway, I’m not sure how I went from Christmas music to Satan, but there you have it, my ramblings for the day.