Odd how one picks up small
bits and pieces of poetry, songs, sayings, etc. from God knows where
and carries them throughout life.
One of my favorites,
probably from my grade school days when I was becoming aware of
profundaties (and yes, "profundaties" is a word--it has to
be: didn't I just use it?), is "He who knows not, and knows not
he knows not, he is a fool: shun him. He who knows not and knows he
knows not, he is ignorant: teach him. But he who knows and knows he
knows, he is wise: follow him." Too bad more people don't adhere
to this very helpful guideline. Which brought me to the subject for
today's blog.
The gap between stupidity
and wisdom is awesomely wide, whereas only the very thinest of lines
separates stupidity from ignorance--a line so thin the two are often
and easily confused. Ignorance is, by definition, simply a lack of
knowledge, and can be overcome (and I can't help but observe that the
core of the word "ignorance" is "ignore"). The
true test of who is stupid and who is ignorant lies in their
awareness that the line exists and in the willingness to cross it.
Both stupidity and ignorance are, in effect, prison cells with
unlocked doors. The ignorant may be unaware that they are free to
leave; the stupid have no desire to. A fool operates on the principle
of the old cliche "Don't bother me with facts; my mind's made
up."
As
a general rule of thumb, stupidity is defined not only by the
absolute refusal to even consider any opinion that differs from their
own, but by the frequently zealous denial of the right to have them.
Ignorance is lethargy; stupidity is too often unapologetically evil.
In
a recent exchange on Facebook, I quoted Polonius' advice to his son,
Laertes, in Hamlet: "This
above all: to thine own self be true. And it must follow, as the
night the day, Thou canst not be false to any man." It evoked
the following comment: "Why don't u use English?" I
responded with a modern-English interpretation of the quote, to which
the same person replied: "U mean be true to urself!" Yes,
that's what I mean.
I
did not automatically assume the questioner was stupid, but I was
both mildly shocked and saddened by her ignorance. Ignorance can be
cured; stupidity is terminal. And to me, the most terrifying thing is
that while the line cannot be crossed from stupidity to ignorance,
there is a great danger of crossing the line in the other direction.
Ignorance can too easily become stupidity.
We
are a nation of ignorance seemingly sinking deeper and deeper into
the quagmire with each succeeding generation. Studies and reports
show how terrifyingly ignorant our general public is becoming.
Ignorant parents tend to raise ignorant children. When a shocking
number of teenagers read far below their grade level, when they do
not comprehend basic math and science, when they cannot find China on
a map, it is time for grave concern.
Alarm
bells have been rung so loudly and so long that we are becoming deaf
to them. The ignorant aren't quite sure what they mean, and the
stupid neither know nor care.
The
fact that stupidity has taken such a firm foothold is in large part
due to its vociferous proponents, who confuse volume and intensity
for validity. Listen, if you have the stomach and tolerance for it,
to religious zealots and talk-show "pundits" and see if you
can find even the hint of anything positive anywhere in their
ranting. That there is nothing positive in stupidity is painfully
self-evident.
Is
there a lesson here? I'd hope it might be this: never, never confuse
those who claim to know for those who do know. How can you tell them
apart? Your mind may not always know, but your heart does.
Dorien's blogs are posted by 10 a.m. Central time every Monday and Thursday. Please take a moment to visit his website (http://www.doriengrey.com) and, if you enjoy these blogs, you might want to check out Short Circuits: a Life in Blogs (http://bit.ly/m8CSO1), which is also available as an audiobook (http://www.audible.com/pd/ ref=sr_1_1?asin=B00DJAJYCS& amp;qid=1372629062&sr=1-1) .
1 comment:
There was a story on a local news site over the weekend about parents who'd been asked to attend a conference at their child's/children's school. Some parents attended and others ignored it. The school sent a notice home informing those who hadn't attended that their children could be suspended if they (the parents) don't attend the make-up meeting.
One parent was quoted as saying "I don't like being threatened in no letter, especially when it comes to my child's education."
I'm still shaking my head over that.
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