a very important thing, among many others, in the Commencement speech he gave at Rutgers.
He said, "In politics and in life, ignorance is not a virtue."
Somehow this statement struck deep. And, how true it is.
How often I find myself saying I don't know this or that, and leaving it there, instead of taking the trouble to find out about what it is that I don't know. Yet, I know that when something or someone has caught my interest and I feel I want to know more about it or him/her, I take a lot of time and trouble going through the Internet, searching and searching till I feel satisfied with what I have learnt.
I now believe that this is something I need to do about everything that I do not know about.
Thanks to the Internet a huge, huge amount of knowledge is available. Some of the information on a subject you are studying may be erroneous, but there are very many more sites that offer correct, accurate and extensive knowledge on the subject. One just has to search. Of course it is going to require time and effort, but then that is what learning is all about, isn't it? And think of how much more you will know...! I have started doing this and little by little am extending the boundaries of my knowledge. What I am finding fascinating is that besides learning more, my head does not feel cluttered, as it does when it is going round and round in circles about something that all I needed to do was to find out more about...And, the time factor loses its hold over me. Knowing more is a liberating feeling, believe me. Another wonderful thing is that one thing leads to another and you end up knowing more about a lot of other things - associated or far removed, even - from the topic of your search. The desire to know and learn also helps in analytical skills and decision making. Decision making and analyzing is important in the tiniest things that affect our lives - these are not words that are only for the 'important', 'big', and 'serious' issues of life. Knowing about things - big, small, serious, foolish, good, bad, silly, inconsequential, necessary - expands our knowledge base and knowing more always comes in handy....in every area of life...every single area of life and living...
No matter how often we turn our heads away from political matters out of disinterest or ununderstanding, politics is important. It IS important to know what is happening in our city, our state, our country and in the world at large. It IS important to know what national and world leaders are thinking. It IS important to be able to grasp the workings of our country and the world. Why do we need to do this? It is only when we force ourselves to take an interest in the politics of our country and other countries that we can form informed opinions about our country and the world, and the people who shape our country and the other countries of the world. Why? Among a lot of advantages, let us just say that the very exercise of finding out and understanding will benefit us...
If we take the trouble - and it's really not all that much trouble - to find out even about things that don't really interest us, or are not our cup of tea, or are not going to affect us, or we feel don't have a place in our lives, just the taking of that trouble will expand our minds. Going in the same mental route will eventually make our minds very small, as will having the attitude of 'what I know is enough'. This in turn will most definitely have a bearing on the quality of our lives. As people there is every chance that we will find ourselves becoming smaller and narrower in our outlook on life. In fact, slowly but surely we will shut ourselves off from the beauty and grandeur of Life.
The whole quality of our lives is bound to change for the better if we decide that we need to know....know more about the things that directly affect us....know more about the world we live in....get to know the issues that face our country.....just know for the sake and pleasure of knowing...
Ending with a quote from my favorite author, Maya Angelou.
"My mother said I must always be intolerant of ignorance......"