I was driving to work this morning. There was a very interesting poll on radio about what would you rather prefer: Blissful ignorance or painful knowledge?
My first instinctive reaction was to choose ignorance. If I am not aware of something, how would I be affected, good or bad? But on a more serious thought, I think it is not that simple.
Because it is all related to another very important emotion in our lives – Happiness.
What is happiness? Is there a set definition that we can use for that word? I don’t think so. I think happiness is very subjective. What may make me happy could annoy someone else. In best terms, I can only say that happiness is a state of mind, a figment of our imagination, a matter of our perception.
Happiness can be found in little things. A cup of coffee can make you happy or a muffin or a song, a kind word but, on the contrary, sometimes even a million dollars won’t do it for you.
So, would you remain poor yet be happy or be rich but miserable?
Knowledge is power. I’ve heard that forever now. But sometimes knowledge is also painful. Backbiting colleagues, a cheating spouse, terminal illness etc. Not knowing about something can be better than knowing about it and having to deal with it. But knowing something atleast gives you can chance to make amends or rectify or change or know the truth no matter however painful it may be.
Would you rather be happy yet ignorant or be upset but aware?
My takes: Let me summarize it perfectly through a quote I read sometime back…
“I know money can’t buy happiness but I’d rather be miserable in a BMW than on a bicycle”.
And about my second question, I still stick with what Francis Bacon said a few hundred years back….
“Knowledge is power”
What do you guys think?
Logical Obscurity 
First 😀
you’re on a roll today. First everywhere!!!
Oh ya … after a long time ….feels nice 😛
🙂
What would you prefer Swar?? Coming first everywhere or having a baby?? bhagooooooooooooooooooooo
LOLLLL 😀
I heard this first time ” “I know money can’t buy happiness but I’d rather be miserable in a BMW than on a bicycle” 😆 😆
I dont want to be false happy so i would prefer upset but aware..Anyway truth cannt be hidden for long time so better it comes in front early so that atleast there is scope of amendment/improvement for better…
Yeah, that saying is awesome. I loved it. And it so fits the bill.
Ignorance may nt be bliss always … so, knowledge for sure 😀
A person who can be happy will be so, whether on bicycle or BMW .. I think its within us.
Miserable in a BMW than on a bicycle .. may be the choice is justified. But, what if it is happy on a bicycle? That wins for sure rt 🙂
Absolutely agree. But some may never be satisfied with what they have. They keep yearning for more. That’s why even if they have a million dollars they remain miserable!
Blissful ignorance or painful knowledge
Being poor yet be happy or be rich but miserable
Both to my mind are two different questions.. diff subjects..
I will go for the bliss of ignorance and happiness but am not denying that i am ready for the other two (yes it sounds philosophical and all gyan but i would like to believe that way :)& I live by this too.
I like the saying “i’d rather be miserable in a BMW/MERC 😛 than on a bicycle”(pun intended) BUT one should equally cherish the happiness he gets being on cycle instead of creating misery due to absence of BMW.. If I am happy on a cycle I am fine with it.. will see what to do of the BMW n misery as n when they come.. what say?
Happiness is a state of mind, its all in the mind & is a matter of our perception. This sums it up.
gosh.. u guys post make me think so much….
n I am laughing on my comment.. i dunno if u will catch it 😛 lets see.
hehe…actually it was running through my mind that day. Didn’t have chance to reply to comment then. And now I don’t even know what I think!! 😉 So not sure what to reply! 😀
Two different subjects? Really?
I think the one thing that relates to both is Happiness. And that’s why I put it together. To get two different perspectives on being happy.
As u said, happiness is a state of mind – and I think I’ll be happy in a BMW and on a cycle, if my mood or the situation makes me happy.
Knowledge is power – no denying that. I’ll better know things than be ignorant abt it. 🙂
hehe…I think it depends on what importance we give to what commodity? If a BMW is imp for me, I will never be happy on a cycle. That’s what I think. So yes, it depends on the state of mind, mood or situation at that time!! 🙂
a little bit of both is necessary for a happy life… being completely ignorant or to know it all doesn’t lead to a happy life… thats just my views 🙂
Yep, that’s right too. We need a bit of everything 🙂
The little of whatever knowledge was left in my grey cells has blissfully gone ignorant after reading your thought provoking post 😥
And the little hope I had of getting a philosophical answer from you has vanished by reading your thought revoking comment ! 😉 😀
Happiness can be found in little things but to buy almost everything in this world we need money. We will get bored of the little things if that were the only things left in our life. It should be combination of everything. So money is important.
As for being miserable, whiny and sad. I have seen that basic nature of some people remains same. In any situation, place, position, group..they remain sad. They whine. They are hopeless.
For others…there is always hope because they will find a way to find happiness. 😀
[Didn’t know how to answer your question so I wrote whatever came to my mind.]
LOL Sols, almost everyone has done that 😀
But I agree. We need money to be happy. Infact realistically speaking, I have not see one person in my life who has said he is happy and content even though he is poor. Have you met someone who has said otherwise?
Nope. 🙂
It only exists in films where they churn out dialogues like ‘rookhi sookhi khaate hain par khush hain’.
As you have said its about state of mind….
a small game or an outing with family was lot of fun when I was a kid.. but not now…
I think it’s about staying positive and thinking positive…
But these days I am really happy… don’t know.. I think its a state of mind… 😀 😀
Yes, it is a state of mind. You may choose to make positive out of a negative or vice versa. Its from inside us. Life is not a bed of roses. So if we decide to stay positive, happiness will invariably follow.
Can’t compromise here, sometimes we don’t have choices…we want it all, all the knowledge and all the riches is all I want.
I am on a journey/quest to acquire the best of both worlds and balance it to my utmost capacity, can’t say succeeded but am definitely hanging close to being not so ignorant and using the knowledge to make me happy instead of miserable….I have been working hard all my life to strike this balance…..and believe me its not impossible…..the only belief we need to have is knowledge can never lead us to misery and money we have in our pocket is not just ours….and the happiness is in giving not having….
So hand on my heart I will say I wanna be blissfully knowledgable and happily rich…well you can say I am in that state of mind or I have tuned my state of mind that way.
Masood, So sorry – I missed this post!
‘I know money can’t buy happiness but I’d rather be miserable in a BMW than on a bicycle’ – I so totally agree with this. Money might not buy happiness but it sure makes life easier 🙂