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Tuesday, May 20, 2008
if you had to choose...
ignorance is bliss. knowledge is power. i wonder which is better?
i can't say, they're both important. hey i have a quote from a friend you might like. it proves that kids aren't as DUMB as adults assume. or that because we're younger they can order us around and not give us rights: "It's not age, it's intelligence" so it might be wisdom
I'd choose ignorance. It's kind of like asking "Do you want to know when you're gonna die or not?". I'd rather not know and be happy up until the last second, rather than know it and fear it until the end. So yeah, ignorance.
hey! that's my quote! but that didn't really answer the question. and ignorance is not always bliss. sometimes it is. it can protect you. it can also deprive you of opportunity, however. and it's not always true. sometimes it just endangers you more. I choose knowing any day. and if you know you're going to die at a certain time you can just change your perspective and think 'this would happen no matter what. at least I know I won't die doing such and such. I'm going to try sky diving.' or something. the only thing I might not want to know is a loved one dying. even then probably, though. i wouldn't want to think they were avoiding me and be mad at them. I'd rather know they were happy, wherever they were. wow, that was really long.
wow. all of you brought up very good points. i'm gonna have to think about this some more.
the question is- would you rather be powerful, be at an advantage, or would you rather just be happy? can you be happy with just knowledge? what is happiness, anyway?
you are so deep. it always makes me feel incrediably shallow. why do you have to sound so wise?! -Christine♥ p.s. picture of Harper will be up hopefully tomorrow. we just got them on the computer and i'm too tired to make a new post tonight.
happiness is the feeling we get when we're pleased for a period of time because of something. happiness is a replacement for joy. joy cannot come from things like happiness, it comes from your heart to actually feel and believe in joy. joy is peace but in your own body & soul. happiness isn't the same, it can't last forever. so to be happy all the time isn't even possible, another emotion will eventually seen through when your happiness weakens. and the quote wasn't up there to answer the question, it was something i thought griffenrider would find interesting RM.
sorry, beachbum. should i stop asking profound questions and stick to what i bought when i went shopping? if you'd prefer that, then just ask, and i'll try to accomodate you. skillet & asia, that made me smile, but somehow, i don't think so. jin, so you're saying that there's no such thing as a genuinly happy person? is happiness really so superficial, that it can't come from a deeper source? hmm. there's a lot to think about there. i think i'm gonna post something on the subject in the recent future, after i've given it some thought.
guys, the real question here is, if you had the opportunity to know the truth, would you grab it with both hands? would you want the burden of the knowledge, because of the advantages and power it might give you? or would you take it hesitantly, or not at all, because you want to go on living as you always have? maybe you want to stay content and innocent and blissfully oblivious forever?
Knowing things makes me happy. I like being smart. I much prefer knowledge because from it I get power and happiness. I never enjoy not knowing anyway so it's not bliss for me, anyway. And I don't think that's what Jin's saying, GF. I think what she means is that if we were happy all the time we wouldn't really be happy because we wouldn't know sadness. There'd be no opposition so the feeling of joy would not be quite as much. And that was really deep, Jin. Note to self: stop underestimating how smart Jin really is, no matter how dumb she acts at school. Here's mine: The pen is stronger than the sword yet actions speak louder than words. how does that work?
oh yeah, i can be deep and what Rose Mary said is exactly what i meant. thanks for explaining it RM, whenever i explain it, people just get more confused
i'm still not 100% sure what you mean. if we're happy, then we're not really happy, cuz we don't know what it means to be sad? i don't understand. how does one have to do with the other?
Knowledge id power. I like to know things even if people agree they are better unsaid. I am curious, is all. for example, I saw a possibly dead man today. o.O
I'd much prefere ignorance, for one thing, having knowledge of things never brings any good as humans we learn and develope but if we already know then we basically lose all purpose, then it depends if you want to be happy because sometimes you learn things we wouldn't want to know, like if theres life after death is we relised there wasn't one how many people would lose point in life, or if there wasn't any god and i know some people don't believe in god but some do and what would they do if they found there was no such thing. and then why would people want power, because we already have power and having more just makes us greedy and no matter how much power we'll get we will always want more. it's what i think anyway.
i know what you're saying jin. if you don't have anything bad to compare the good to(like bad) then you can't tell that it's good. but i would still choose ignorance. if you somehow knew that you were going to die tomorrow, you would do everything to not let that happen. you would be so stressed that you couldn't enjoy your last moments on earth. that's my opinion at least. -Christine♥
that depends on who has the knowlege, if it was me and i knew i was going to die tomorrow, i'd let fate take it's toll and i'd make the best of my last moments, you can't just assume we'd stress out.
there has to be opposition in all things. if you commit murder but you've never known anything good it's not technically evil because it's all you know. you're not doing bad you're just doing what you know. if you don't know what it's like to be sad you can't fully appreciate what it's like to be happy. and it's not power of the kind that makes you greedy for more power. you get greedy for more knowledge but not so you can control people, just because you realize the joy of it. I think that the power knowledge gives mostly benefit. even if it's knowledge of how to create an atomic bomb you should also have knowledge to use it wisely. and if you're ignorant to the bombs existence you are blissful until the bomb hits. if you know of the bomb you can get yourself and many others to safety.
i think that ignorance is the oposition to knowlege, we need ignorance to apretiante knowlege and we need knowlege to apretiate the bliss of ignorance, see? none is truly better
so many different arguments you all make, each one of them valid. so, i guess it depends on the person. on how you, personally, relate to the world around you. but i do have some words of advice.
for those who'd choose blissfull ignorance: be careful. as Rose Mary said, ignorance can put you at a great disadvantage.
for those who'd choose knowldege: be careful with the power it brings. use your knowledge wisely. and the truth hurts. a lot.
in some ways it is important. maybe not the thing we're debating but the fact that we are debating. We're learning to think for ourselves. p.s. do you mind if I use your blog in a story or movie or something, GR?
maybe you would be happier not knowing something, I don't know. but i wouldn't. if i didn't know some of the things i do my life would be boring. safe, yes, but i wouldn't even appreciate it because i wouldn't realize the things people were guarding me from. i wouldn't be prepared when they slipped through. i would much rather be one of the guardians who is in danger more often but less if, by chance, attacked and has more excitement than the bored, average person who sits there, ungrateful and realizingly.
I just liked your comment on in between things. i like all your comments, really. they make me think. the in between one is, like, the perfect intro for a story I'm doing. and thnx.
Freedom of speech is all well and good, but if you really wish to exercise your rights to curse, swear, insult, or otherwise not speak very nicely, please DO NOT do so on this blog. if you do, i will delete your comment. thank you for your cooperation.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletei really love it.
ReplyDeleteit's like an almost-haiku,
form of concise grace.
if she had to choose
raingirl would favor wisdom--
then try to forget.
i can't say, they're both important. hey i have a quote from a friend you might like. it proves that kids aren't as DUMB as adults assume. or that because we're younger they can order us around and not give us rights: "It's not age, it's intelligence" so it might be wisdom
ReplyDeleteI'd pick knowledge, but that's 'cause i just MUST know everything. If i don't, I'll be incomplete.
ReplyDeleteEes anano retal
Cuppy
WEE! i understand that, but also, wisdom is important, we need it to survive
ReplyDeleteignorance. i think i lost my childhood to early. i would really love to have it back.
ReplyDeletewhat would you choose?
-Christine♥
I'd choose ignorance. It's kind of like asking "Do you want to know when you're gonna die or not?". I'd rather not know and be happy up until the last second, rather than know it and fear it until the end. So yeah, ignorance.
ReplyDeletehey! that's my quote! but that didn't really answer the question. and ignorance is not always bliss. sometimes it is. it can protect you. it can also deprive you of opportunity, however. and it's not always true. sometimes it just endangers you more. I choose knowing any day. and if you know you're going to die at a certain time you can just change your perspective and think 'this would happen no matter what. at least I know I won't die doing such and such. I'm going to try sky diving.' or something. the only thing I might not want to know is a loved one dying. even then probably, though. i wouldn't want to think they were avoiding me and be mad at them. I'd rather know they were happy, wherever they were.
ReplyDeletewow, that was really long.
wow. all of you brought up very good points. i'm gonna have to think about this some more.
ReplyDeletethe question is- would you rather be powerful, be at an advantage, or would you rather just be happy? can you be happy with just knowledge? what is happiness, anyway?
you are so deep. it always makes me feel incrediably shallow. why do you have to sound so wise?!
ReplyDelete-Christine♥
p.s. picture of Harper will be up hopefully tomorrow. we just got them on the computer and i'm too tired to make a new post tonight.
what if you knew a little...
ReplyDeletethen would you have blissful power?
happiness is the feeling we get when we're pleased for a period of time because of something. happiness is a replacement for joy. joy cannot come from things like happiness, it comes from your heart to actually feel and believe in joy. joy is peace but in your own body & soul. happiness isn't the same, it can't last forever. so to be happy all the time isn't even possible, another emotion will eventually seen through when your happiness weakens. and the quote wasn't up there to answer the question, it was something i thought griffenrider would find interesting RM.
ReplyDeletesorry, beachbum. should i stop asking profound questions and stick to what i bought when i went shopping? if you'd prefer that, then just ask, and i'll try to accomodate you.
ReplyDeleteskillet & asia, that made me smile, but somehow, i don't think so.
jin, so you're saying that there's no such thing as a genuinly happy person? is happiness really so superficial, that it can't come from a deeper source? hmm. there's a lot to think about there. i think i'm gonna post something on the subject in the recent future, after i've given it some thought.
guys, the real question here is, if you had the opportunity to know the truth, would you grab it with both hands? would you want the burden of the knowledge, because of the advantages and power it might give you? or would you take it hesitantly, or not at all, because you want to go on living as you always have? maybe you want to stay content and innocent and blissfully oblivious forever?
ReplyDeletewhich would you choose?
the truth hurts. is it better to live a lie?
id have to say, knowledge, dunno why.
ReplyDeleteyou ar eon my link list, because even though you get like, 35comments, you always have time for non important people, like me!
good question
"non-important"?! what on earth makes you say that?!
ReplyDeleteKnowing things makes me happy. I like being smart. I much prefer knowledge because from it I get power and happiness. I never enjoy not knowing anyway so it's not bliss for me, anyway. And I don't think that's what Jin's saying, GF. I think what she means is that if we were happy all the time we wouldn't really be happy because we wouldn't know sadness. There'd be no opposition so the feeling of joy would not be quite as much. And that was really deep, Jin. Note to self: stop underestimating how smart Jin really is, no matter how dumb she acts at school. Here's mine:
ReplyDeleteThe pen is stronger than the sword yet actions speak louder than words. how does that work?
of course i missed u!! :)
ReplyDeleteoh yeah, i can be deep
ReplyDeleteand what Rose Mary said is exactly what i meant. thanks for explaining it RM, whenever i explain it, people just get more confused
i'm still not 100% sure what you mean. if we're happy, then we're not really happy, cuz we don't know what it means to be sad? i don't understand. how does one have to do with the other?
ReplyDeleteKnowledge id power. I like to know things even if people agree they are better unsaid. I am curious, is all. for example, I saw a possibly dead man today. o.O
ReplyDeleteomg thats hard i can't choose!
ReplyDeleteHard choice, but I'd have to say...
ReplyDeleteIgnorance. I don't do very well with power
:)rien
I posted a reply on my blog incase you were really curious as to what my post meant. Not sure if you're even interested, or not. But yeahhh.
ReplyDeleteI'd much prefere ignorance, for one thing, having knowledge of things never brings any good as humans we learn and develope but if we already know then we basically lose all purpose, then it depends if you want to be happy because sometimes you learn things we wouldn't want to know, like if theres life after death is we relised there wasn't one how many people would lose point in life, or if there wasn't any god and i know some people don't believe in god but some do and what would they do if they found there was no such thing.
ReplyDeleteand then why would people want power, because we already have power and having more just makes us greedy and no matter how much power we'll get we will always want more.
it's what i think anyway.
what i'm saying is opposition, iof there's no evil then there's no good. if there's no sadness, then there's no happiness, see how that works?
ReplyDeleteum, thanks? and hi to you to. who are you exactly?
ReplyDeletei know what you're saying jin. if you don't have anything bad to compare the good to(like bad) then you can't tell that it's good. but i would still choose ignorance. if you somehow knew that you were going to die tomorrow, you would do everything to not let that happen. you would be so stressed that you couldn't enjoy your last moments on earth. that's my opinion at least.
ReplyDelete-Christine♥
that depends on who has the knowlege, if it was me and i knew i was going to die tomorrow, i'd let fate take it's toll and i'd make the best of my last moments, you can't just assume we'd stress out.
ReplyDeletethere has to be opposition in all things. if you commit murder but you've never known anything good it's not technically evil because it's all you know. you're not doing bad you're just doing what you know. if you don't know what it's like to be sad you can't fully appreciate what it's like to be happy. and it's not power of the kind that makes you greedy for more power. you get greedy for more knowledge but not so you can control people, just because you realize the joy of it. I think that the power knowledge gives mostly benefit. even if it's knowledge of how to create an atomic bomb you should also have knowledge to use it wisely. and if you're ignorant to the bombs existence you are blissful until the bomb hits. if you know of the bomb you can get yourself and many others to safety.
ReplyDeletei think that ignorance is the oposition to knowlege, we need ignorance to apretiante knowlege and we need knowlege to apretiate the bliss of ignorance, see? none is truly better
ReplyDeleteso many different arguments you all make, each one of them valid. so, i guess it depends on the person. on how you, personally, relate to the world around you. but i do have some words of advice.
ReplyDeletefor those who'd choose blissfull ignorance: be careful. as Rose Mary said, ignorance can put you at a great disadvantage.
for those who'd choose knowldege: be careful with the power it brings. use your knowledge wisely. and the truth hurts. a lot.
no, i just have never heard of you before, and if youve commented, im sorry.
ReplyDelete'ello moto's i chose both equally. where's my advice?
ReplyDeleteIt's alot to to think about- weather it's something important to think about?
ReplyDeleteit is important, sort of
ReplyDeleteimportant? not really. interesintg? definitely.
ReplyDeleteyep.
ReplyDeletein some ways it is important. maybe not the thing we're debating but the fact that we are debating. We're learning to think for ourselves.
ReplyDeletep.s. do you mind if I use your blog in a story or movie or something, GR?
say okay GR, it'll make her happy. also, that's why i said sort of when i said important. it's important but unnesissary (is that how you spell it?)
ReplyDeletemaybe you would be happier not knowing something, I don't know. but i wouldn't. if i didn't know some of the things i do my life would be boring. safe, yes, but i wouldn't even appreciate it because i wouldn't realize the things people were guarding me from. i wouldn't be prepared when they slipped through. i would much rather be one of the guardians who is in danger more often but less if, by chance, attacked and has more excitement than the bored, average person who sits there, ungrateful and realizingly.
ReplyDeletei guess so, Rose Mary. but what would you use it for?
ReplyDeleteI just liked your comment on in between things. i like all your comments, really. they make me think. the in between one is, like, the perfect intro for a story I'm doing. and thnx.
ReplyDeletei dunno. thanx for the compliments, but i was thinking of maybe putting that post into a story, too. so i don't know if that'll really work out.
ReplyDeletehmm, id say bliss......
ReplyDelete