Can Ignorance set Us free?

I used to believe what they said : “The Truth would set you free”. Now, I think “freedom” is linked to ignorance, or, at least, naïveté. To be “free” you have to keep information (Truth) out. Paradox strikes again!

Childhood was full of delusion. We didn’t know what was behind all the curtains. Most of us were protected. Our worlds were very small and you could fit the whole thing (including a Nestle's Crunch bar) in your backpack. Human suffering was remote and abstract. We thought that the U.S. was honorable and righteous and our Presidents had integrity and dignity, and all that. We were FREE; Free even from trappings of technology.

Now, we can’t escape a constant digital ticker tape of information, information, and information. It’s capturing our minds insidiously and with precision.

Then, there was no internet or social media so we didn’t see (in real time) every freak show and tragic act (or Truth) that occurred across the globe. We had a chance to keep things in front of ourselves, to live in that glorious moment that was ours (and fleeting). Myopia was our ally and we stayed over our skis. We held onto the notion that Catholic Priests were doing “God’s work” and that most college sports programs weren’t totally littered with sexual abuse, sexual perverts disguised as gynecologists working for the University Women's sports programs, and, of course, the institutional coverups that soon followed.

We didn’t think that many of our male celebrities were sociopathic sex crazed maniacs.

The fact that almost 1/4 of all children under 18 lives in poverty was completely lost on us. The info never got through in that small world of information transmitted by the written word.

Social media is now almost as inescapable as the air we breath and with tragedy and subhuman behavior and Kardashianic titillation saturating the entire landscape we are certain not to miss a drop of it thanks to the media’s commitment to bringing us facets of society that are the most shocking and disturbing, and painfully useless. It has all the addictive qualities of nicotine but maybe more destructive than even tobacco. Time will tell how that distraction will play out but It can’t be disputed that it drowns out the sound of our own thoughts. We can’t hide anymore. We are always an instantaneous text or email away. We are always plugged into the grid.

That kind of “Truth” is not Freedom. It never allows you to escape. You are a constant prisoner to the ever growing matrix of mostly inane, sometimes overwhelmingly disturbing static that points (always) to the conclusion that people are nothing like they seemed to be in 70’s family TV shows.

In reality, Brady Bunch father, Mike, is a porn addict who has numerous affairs behind Carol’s back. Lou Grant would have been a huge Trump supporter. “Fat Albert” on Saturday morning TV is really Bill Cosby and we know where that goes.

I prefer the fantasy; the myth. I want to keep it simple. As hard as that is to say it might be the only thing that can get me out of bed in the morning. The proverbial “big picture” was always the altar; I was always seeking that light. Now, it has too much information and too much of it is static. Its like staring at the sun. It interferes with my ability to enjoy macaroni salad.

The Truth just might drive you crazy. I’m still pretending that Trump got the lowest votes of any Republican candidate and he dropped out after only 3 primaries.

Build a wall around yourself if you have to ... pretend Santa Claus is back...and try and imagine that people are better than they really are (much better)..they are less greedy and indifferent to the pain of others, less consumed by money and sex, more willing stand up for something important. Instead, create the world you want to live in...in your mind. Be like the adolescent characters , Suzy, and Sam, in “Moonrise Kingdom” who escape their dysfunctional lives in search of something of their own design, a reality of their own, on an island.

Freedom restored!

P.S. Child and teen anxiety and suicide are at epic highs.

Food for thought....