Is Ignorance Truly Bliss?

I often find myself saying the popular phrase, “Ignorance is bliss”? especially in conversations about things like personal relationships, world events, or even, as in the case of the photo above, deciding what to order for dinner.?

I find that there’s a certain peace in not overthinking every detail, in simply enjoying the moment without the weight of too much information.?

While I can agree to the extent that “knowledge is power”, there is a certain drawback to knowing every precise detail of the situation you find yourself in.?

Do you want or need to know if your current partner’s past relationship was with an NBA star, probably not. Do you want to know every blistering detail about the thousands of horrifying events happening around the world each day, also, most likely not.?

Do you really want to know what ingredients are in this magnificent pasta salad your friend’s mom made that you can’t help but eat two plates of? Yes, because you have allergies and now because you didn’t ask for the ingredients, you are in the back of an ambulance being taken to the emergency room. Yes, this happened to me yesterday. ??

I found myself pondering over this saying while I lay there in the hospital bed, debating on whether or not this statement was fully true in my eyes.?

Each day I find that it is much less stressful on my mind to not focus on small, most likely unimportant details of situations I find myself in. However, knowing these specific details may prevent certain problems, uncomfortable situations, and overall bad experiences from occurring.?

Like in the case of the pasta salad, if I had known I wouldn’t have had to take my third ER trip within the last year. If I had paid attention to the details of how my so-called “friends” were treating me, I wouldn’t have been left in a spot where I could be embarrassed like that.

While I still do believe that a certain amount of ignorance is bliss, and contributes to a much happier and careless life, the power of knowledge is undeniable. Knowing certain things and paying attention to certain details prevents those harmful outcomes of a stress-free life and benefits you overall. Even though it may hurt more upfront, it is much better than the pain that awaits from being oblivious or choosing to ignore it.