Light in the Dark

“Do You believe there is a difference between ignorance and stupidity? Better yet, stupidity and idiocy?

“If you are stupid, doesn’t that make you by definition an idiot? Or if you are ignorant doesn’t that make you stupid?”

These are questions we grapple with daily in this new time of encrypted thesaurus and imagined definitions of words. What we hear and what is meant, are often two different things.

Some lyric not long ago asked, “Who let the dogs out.” What that meant I have only a mixed array of explanations for. Some you may agree with, some you may not. What we are faced with by letting the light in, is whose light are we letting in. Is there a true light, a filtered light, a dampened light? Is there light at all, or a manufactured version that gives us the semblance of light when it is all a fabrication that we tend to believe because we want to, need to.

Ignorance I can understand. Our social systems have become mired in the arena of feeling rather than knowledge. So that no one is left behind, no one is allowed to be in the lead. No one loses, everyone wins. The problem is that it deflates initiative, ingenuity, honesty and fact.

The problem is that dilution only encourages stupidity. Stupidity being the term used to describe someone who has access to the knowledge necessary to evaluate facts and devise a rational understanding based on the evidence, but refuses to.

The refusal is due to a self-inflicted condition that replaces logic with emotion, and emotion with non-consequential action, resulting usually in someone being injured, or property being damaged. The result of succumbing to stupidity, is idiocy. Idiocy is described as madness. Madness is described as insanity. Insanity is described as irrationality, which leads us full circle to the word, “Me.”

Me, refers of course to me. I am what I am, no matter what I project myself to be, or how others perceive me. I am my own savior, executioner, and provider. Blame, for what goes on, in, and around me, is my doing. 

I can of course abdicate that personal responsibility by putting the reason I am what I am, on “You,” which is often convenient and expedites the necessity for self-incrimination. Self-incrimination being the worst of all evils, as we are asked to be priest and confessor, as well as believing, the debt we owe will be to the One of our choosing. We are placed in a situation where we cannot win, but most assuredly lose should we persist in believing there is only one law, one way to live, one way to believe. That being of course, if it parallels our own beliefs.

So, stupidity appears to be the culprit that is the debatable part of our equation. It allows us to register fact, siphon it from wells of our choosing, and accept its consequences on behalf of the righteous band of idiots we profess to belong to. 

It is perfectly acceptable of course to disregard the logic of ignorance, which is the most impressive way to deniability, as it is not our fault. The failure lies with the teacher, as we belong to the class of 2021 where no one is allowed to fail without a written excuse from their…you name it. 

Accepting the fact that we have a choice, it is not forced upon us, we choose the ingredients we bake our cake from. It is a difficult choice because it allows others the same freedom to choose their own ingredients, as we demand. 

We have now fallen from the proverbial tree of knowledge and are left to convulse in the universe of freedoms. We on one hand pride ourselves on democracy, which has constitutionalized the idealism, that freedom is an inherent right. But we know in our hearts that is an oxymoron, and the freedom of my neighbor might infringe on my freedom. 

So how are we to resolve the issue of what freedom is?

The right to carry a gun can be argued as constitutional, our right to not die because of that gun, is all encompassed in our laws. So the conundrum exists that we are left with only one answer, personal responsibility. Personal responsibility implies a meter of respect for others and their freedoms. Personal freedom demands inclusion.

What happens when that respect is deemed irrelevant by us because we are knowledgeable, and so many others are ignorant, stupid, and obviously idiots, because they cannot see that we have the one and only answer. God, a congress man or woman, the barber, the mailman, all are on our side, they have told us so. They have similar flags, hats, speeches, so why can’t we just listen to them and agree to be good subservient players in a game that we know is always rigged in favor of the other guys? 

We have left ourselves little room to navigate. WE are down to the old adage, which came first the chicken or the egg? The broom or dustpan, paint, or brush, does it matter, in that it does little to resolve our interest in, what is best for me. 

We depend on others for things we cannot or will not do for ourselves. When your car breaks down, you can repair it yourself if you have the advanced technology skills and fifty thousand dollars’ worth of equipment. When you get sick you go to the doctor, or wait until you are really sick and then go to the emergency room or the morgue. We depend on others to keep us on a plain of solvency that allows us to live a reasonable life in safety and security. 

And yet hate permeates the air like a dead skunk. You know its there before you see it, you can’t help but remember being there, long after you’ve left. The only thing that remains undebatable, is that the skunk has had an affect on you. You may not like the effect, you may in the future decide to avoid the dead skunk if possible, but you will not forget the impact it has had on you. And yet, when it comes to those who breathe the same air, drink the same water, eat the same food, somehow that is different. 

As I walk amongst people, I’ve noticed lately that the majority of them appear angry, frustrated, ready to blow a gasket. Why?

I believe we have entered the twilight zone. The brightness promised has not arrived, the Armageddon we’ve been told was just over the horizon, remains just over the horizon, and there is only the difference between the two that we can count on for a semblance of peace. And yet that space too is filled with idiocy, stupidity, and ignorance which seems to be the root cause for our discomfort. 

Perhaps we have forgotten how to apply the old wisdom that is often used to bolster our spirits, but is seldom practiced in reality. I believe it is time to put our arrogant behavior behind us, and assume there are more ways to do something, other than just yours, or mine, but possibly ours.