|
|
|
|
Blogs by Dorien Grey
Ignorance vs. Stupidity
11/16/2009 4:32:44 AM
Taking a look at ignorance and stupidity and the difference between them.
***
From "Dorien Grey and Me" (http://www.doriengreyandme.com
***
In one of my little epiphanies, while pondering the fact that our society seems, like the Titanic, to be sinking in the frigid sea of stupidity, while so amazingly many people seem to be totally ignorant of the simplest of facts…like where to find the lifeboats. I suddenly realized that stupidity is simply ignorance ignored. An old saying came to mind: “He who knows not, and knows not he knows not, he is stupid: 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.”
There are outstanding exceptions to the stupidity factor, of course, but it does seem that the ratio of stupidity to ignorance seems to be growing steadily in favor of stupidity. We all are ignorant of so very many things, and there seems to be more and more out there that we really should know how to handle in order to stay afloat. But this is, again, ignorance and can be overcome if we have the time and feel the effort is worth it. The problem is that so few people do think it’s worth it.
There is an ad running on TV about a young woman who is grateful to some company or other because people there help her father read his mail “because he never learned how.” This is, on the surface, touching. However, I fear my reaction is always: “For God sakes, man, if you can’t read, learn!” There was no indication of any mental impairment to keep this man from learning.
I have heard a common objection illiterate adults make to the prospect of learning is that it is embarrassing. I can certainly understand this…but less embarrassing than having to rely on others to read things to them.
Having thus said, I just remembered that when I first moved to L.A. I met a nice young man whom I started seeing. One time we were going somewhere and got lost. I pulled up to a phone booth and asked him to go look up the address. He went into the booth and came out five minutes later saying he couldn’t find it. There were a couple other similar incidents until I realized that he could not read! I was shocked. The poor kid was excruciatingly embarrassed by his inability, but he said he didn’t want to learn now because he was too ashamed. Dear Lord!!
Ignorance is correctable. Stupidity is not. The fact that our educational system (“Children is our future,” as our beloved former leader once said) is failing miserably and teeters dangerously on the brink of being a gigantic stupidity factory. And it is a frighteningly slippery slope. Parents who were not themselves properly educated produce children (“Be fruitful and multiply” seems to be one of the few biblical instructions most people pay any real attention to) who are, if possible, even more stupid than their parents.
Ignorance is frustrating. Stupidity is frightening. There is precious little we, as individuals, can do to halt the relentless advance of stupidity, but there is one thing any one of us can do: read, and do whatever we can to encourage others to do the same. For a child, one of the most effective tools in combating ignorance is a library card. But it is equally important for adults, and each of us can help keep ignorance from morphing into stupidity by the simple act of giving books for every occasion calling for a gift. When you finish a book, do everything you can to pass it on to someone, or donate it to a library, a hospital, a nursing home, anywhere there is a chance someone else may share your pleasure.
Of course, as a writer, I have a vested interest in people reading. But whether you read my books or not, please read. When you hold a book, the future is, indeed, in your hands.
***
I'll be posting another blog next Monday, and do hope you'll stop by. In the meantime, please feel free to make a comment here, and to visit my website at http://www.doriengrey.com
Post a Comment new!
More Blogs by Dorien Grey
• Plannin' - Monday, June 17, 2013
• The Spider's Belch - Monday, June 10, 2013
• Ya' Know What I'm Sayin'? - Monday, June 03, 2013
• Antsy - Monday, May 27, 2013
• You and Me - Monday, May 20, 2013
• Hope, Love, and We - Monday, April 29, 2013
• Pureed Thoughts - Monday, April 22, 2013
• The Willing Eunuch - Monday, April 15, 2013
• "If" Past, "If" Future - Monday, April 08, 2013
• Habits, Routines, and Ruts - Monday, April 01, 2013
• Mind vs. Body - Tuesday, March 26, 2013
• Rejection - Monday, March 18, 2013
• A Box of Days - Monday, March 11, 2013
• Instructions - Monday, March 04, 2013
• Ya Know? - Monday, February 25, 2013
• Logic, Oh Logic! - Monday, February 18, 2013
• North - Monday, February 11, 2013
• Domesticity, Yet Again - Monday, February 04, 2013
• The Christmas Party - Monday, December 24, 2012
• "De Profundis" - Monday, December 17, 2012
• Squiggles and Strokes - Monday, December 10, 2012
• Validation - Monday, December 03, 2012
• Wastebaskets and Life - Monday, November 19, 2012
• Once Upon a Time in the Navy - Monday, November 12, 2012
• Love - Tuesday, October 23, 2012
• Russ - Monday, October 01, 2012
• Torquemada'll Get You... - Monday, September 10, 2012
• King Canute - Monday, September 03, 2012
• Oh, the Nobility! - Monday, August 27, 2012
• A Pile of Rocks - Monday, August 06, 2012
• The Doctor is In - Monday, June 25, 2012
• Splits - Tuesday, June 19, 2012
• Softie - Monday, May 28, 2012
• Time Was - Monday, May 21, 2012
• Oh, the Nobility!! - Monday, May 07, 2012
• The Demons Within - Monday, April 30, 2012
• At the Movies - Monday, April 16, 2012
• I Believe... - Monday, April 09, 2012
• Bubbly Creek - Monday, March 26, 2012
• Who IS That Man? - Monday, March 19, 2012
• Dangling Wires - Monday, March 05, 2012
• Trains - Monday, February 27, 2012
• Songs - Monday, February 20, 2012
• Love - Monday, February 06, 2012
• Mind Boggling - Monday, January 30, 2012
• Omaha - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
• The Doctor is In - Monday, January 09, 2012
• Laughter - Tuesday, December 27, 2011
• A Job From Hell - Monday, December 05, 2011
• Ophelia - Monday, November 14, 2011
• Acknowledgement, Acceptance, and Compulsion - Monday, October 31, 2011
• Homes - Monday, October 24, 2011
• Tar Bubbles - Monday, October 17, 2011
• Different Worlds - Monday, October 10, 2011
• Missed Boats - Monday, September 26, 2011
• Little Things - Monday, September 19, 2011
• Shiva - Monday, September 12, 2011
• One Plus One Equals...?? - Monday, September 05, 2011
• Matchmaker, Matchmaker - Monday, August 29, 2011
• Journey's End - Monday, August 22, 2011
• Last Day in Rome - Monday, August 15, 2011
• Wandering through Rome - Monday, August 08, 2011
• A Stroll Through the Forum - Monday, August 01, 2011
• All Railroads Lead to Rome - Monday, July 25, 2011
• Climbing Vesuvius - Monday, July 18, 2011
• Sorrento Notes - Monday, July 11, 2011
• The Pompeiians - Monday, July 04, 2011
• And On to Florence - Monday, June 20, 2011
• The Train to Italy - Monday, June 13, 2011
• Life in Paris - Monday, May 30, 2011
• Progress Report - Monday, May 23, 2011
• Bienvenue a Paris - Monday, May 16, 2011
• A Klutz in London - Monday, May 09, 2011
• To London, To London! - Monday, May 02, 2011
• Moments - Monday, April 25, 2011
• The Likes o' Me - Monday, March 07, 2011
• Movies - Monday, February 21, 2011
• "As ithers see us" - Monday, February 14, 2011
• Kittens and Puppies - Monday, February 07, 2011
• Jobs from Heck - Monday, January 31, 2011
• The Boggled Mind - Monday, January 24, 2011
• Kids' Play - Monday, January 10, 2011
• Ozymandius - Monday, January 03, 2011
• Ponderings - Monday, December 27, 2010
• Laughter - Monday, December 20, 2010
• On Impatience - Monday, December 13, 2010
• Speaking in Tongues - Monday, December 06, 2010
• Idiots - Monday, November 29, 2010
• Losin' It - Monday, November 22, 2010
• Trains - Monday, November 15, 2010
• On Being Strange - Monday, November 08, 2010
• Cracks in the Mirror - Monday, November 01, 2010
• Because - Monday, October 25, 2010
• Strike Up the Band - Monday, October 18, 2010
• Embarrassment - Monday, October 11, 2010
• "...As Ithers See Us." - Monday, October 04, 2010
• The Way of the World - Monday, September 27, 2010
• Generations - Monday, September 20, 2010
• Letting Go - Monday, September 13, 2010
• K’nesheeshawna by Any Other Name - Monday, September 06, 2010
• Unforgiving - Monday, August 30, 2010
• For We Are a Simple People - Monday, August 23, 2010
• Seven out of Seven - Monday, August 16, 2010
• It is to Weep - Monday, August 09, 2010
• Reality and Perception - Monday, August 02, 2010
• Memory Games - Monday, July 26, 2010
• Mind and Body - Monday, July 19, 2010
• The Captain and the Ship - Monday, July 12, 2010
• Logic and the Lack Thereof - Monday, July 05, 2010
• Normal - Monday, June 28, 2010
• You Is or You Ain't - Monday, June 21, 2010
• The King of Klutz - Monday, June 14, 2010
• You & Me...& Everybody Else - Monday, June 07, 2010
• 3,993 Sundays - Monday, May 31, 2010
• Tears of Joy - Monday, May 24, 2010
• Pond Scum - Monday, May 17, 2010
• A Day at the Movies - Monday, May 10, 2010
• L'etat, C'est Moi! - Monday, May 03, 2010
• We Three - Monday, April 26, 2010
• I've Made a Little List - Monday, April 19, 2010
• Jack Spratt's Wife - Monday, April 12, 2010
• Blanks - Monday, April 05, 2010
• On Being Bubbly - Monday, March 29, 2010
• Role Models - Monday, March 22, 2010
• Do Ladybugs Dream? - Monday, March 15, 2010
• Raving About Commercials - Monday, March 08, 2010
• Sitting - Monday, March 01, 2010
• Pennies - Monday, February 22, 2010
• Bye, Bye, Baby - Monday, February 15, 2010
• Something for Nothing - Monday, February 08, 2010
• Pebbles - Monday, February 01, 2010
• Rose Petals - Monday, January 25, 2010
• On Immortality - Monday, January 18, 2010
• Leaky Boats - Monday, January 11, 2010
• Gullible's Travels - Monday, January 04, 2010
• Softie - Monday, December 28, 2009
• The Hamster Cage - Monday, December 21, 2009
• Jobs from Hell, Part I - Monday, December 14, 2009
• Ice Cream Social - Monday, December 07, 2009
• Cute - Monday, November 30, 2009
• On Praise - Monday, November 23, 2009
• Ignorance vs. Stupidity - Monday, November 16, 2009
• Mom & Dad - Monday, November 09, 2009
• The Blogger's Curse - Monday, November 02, 2009
• The Spelunker's Rope - Monday, October 26, 2009
• The Toddler's Creed - Monday, October 19, 2009
• Lost Friends - Monday, October 12, 2009
• Dorien - Monday, October 05, 2009
• Backward, Turn Backward... - Monday, September 28, 2009
• My Garden of Phobias - Monday, September 21, 2009
• "Mom and Dad" - Monday, September 14, 2009
• Falling Short - Monday, September 07, 2009
• Blank Slate - Monday, August 31, 2009
• "Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash!" - Monday, August 24, 2009
• Why, Again? - Monday, August 17, 2009
• The Seeds of Cynicism - Monday, August 10, 2009
• "Oh, the Men Will Cheer..." - Monday, August 03, 2009
• Susan - Monday, July 27, 2009
• The Lazy Perfectionist - Monday, July 20, 2009
• Sheep - Monday, July 13, 2009
• The Joys of Misery - Monday, July 06, 2009
• Condescension - Monday, June 29, 2009
• The English as She is Misspoke - Monday, June 22, 2009
• To Catch a Raindrop - Monday, June 15, 2009
• Domesticity - Monday, June 08, 2009
• Time in a Jar - Monday, June 01, 2009
• The Lives of Others - Monday, May 25, 2009
• Holding On - Monday, May 18, 2009
• Cars - Monday, May 11, 2009
• in Praise of Me - Monday, May 04, 2009
• The Sound of Music - Monday, April 27, 2009
• Obsession - Monday, April 20, 2009
• Hello, Stupid! - Monday, April 13, 2009
• And Pearls Before Swine - Monday, April 06, 2009
• Logic - Monday, March 30, 2009
• Perspectives - Monday, March 23, 2009
• My Garden of Phobias - Monday, March 16, 2009
• In the House of Cancer - Monday, March 02, 2009
• The Ways of the World - Monday, February 23, 2009
• Laughter - Monday, February 16, 2009
• Dreams - Monday, February 09, 2009
• Remember High School? - Monday, February 02, 2009
• The Pleasures of Drear - Monday, January 26, 2009
• Marching On - Monday, January 19, 2009
• Puck Was Right - Monday, January 12, 2009
• Kids Play - Monday, January 05, 2009
• Touch - Monday, December 29, 2008
• Memory and Reality - Monday, December 22, 2008
• The Other Side of the Window - Monday, December 15, 2008
• Reading the Signs - Monday, December 08, 2008
• Dust Bunnies - Monday, December 01, 2008
• Ursula's World - Monday, November 24, 2008
• Life in a Sardine Can - Monday, November 17, 2008
• My Life in Porn - Monday, November 10, 2008
• Falling Short - Monday, November 03, 2008
• Spam and Pond Scum - Monday, October 27, 2008
• The Reluctant Muse - Monday, October 20, 2008
• A Mess o'Muses - Monday, October 13, 2008
• Perchance to Dream - Wednesday, October 08, 2008
• The Lemonade Stand - Friday, October 03, 2008
• This Way to the Egress - Friday, August 01, 2008
• Ghosts & Windmills - Friday, May 02, 2008
• Revisiting A Sailor's Day - Tuesday, April 01, 2008
• Time Travelling - Monday, February 18, 2008
• Why I Write - Friday, February 01, 2008
• On Waiting - Wednesday, December 12, 2007
• I Brung 'ya Flowers - Wednesday, November 07, 2007
• Ah, Blogs! - Thursday, September 27, 2007
• Baiting the hook - Thursday, August 23, 2007
• Fishin' - Tuesday, May 22, 2007
• A Note of Thanks - Tuesday, May 01, 2007
• 16 May, 1955 - Tuesday, April 17, 2007
• Twixt Thee and Me - Tuesday, April 03, 2007
• It Isn't Raining Rain, you know..... - Tuesday, March 20, 2007
• The Omnipotent Writer - Tuesday, March 06, 2007
• Judy and Mickey - Thursday, February 22, 2007
• Of Videos and Blogs - Thursday, February 01, 2007
• A Glass of Time - Friday, January 05, 2007
• The Author's Dance - Tuesday, November 14, 2006
• Cover Story - Tuesday, August 22, 2006
• The Joys of Cyberspace - Friday, August 04, 2006
• An nInvitation to Time Travel - Monday, June 12, 2006
• Blogs and Bitching - Monday, May 29, 2006
• Two-Way Streets - Sunday, April 23, 2006
• What's a Writer to Do? - Saturday, April 22, 2006
• Remember Me? - Saturday, April 15, 2006
• Relating - Wednesday, June 16, 2004
• Cassandra - Saturday, May 29, 2004
• Talking With the Dead - Sunday, May 23, 2004
• Vegetables and Jesus - Friday, May 21, 2004
• Writers and fishermen - Wednesday, May 19, 2004
• Egos, Blogs & Trackers - Tuesday, May 11, 2004
• A Man Born After His Time - Friday, May 07, 2004
• Blog Upon a Friday Afternoon - Friday, April 30, 2004
• Impatience - Saturday, April 24, 2004
• Ladybugs - Tuesday, April 20, 2004
• Fine Lines - Saturday, April 17, 2004
• Joint Ventures - Thursday, April 15, 2004
• World Enough, and Time - Sunday, April 04, 2004
|
|
Bookmarks
