Is Ignorance Still Bliss, Now That I Know?

A confession from a self-aware mind that sometimes wishes it wasn’t.

I Used to Hear This Phrase…

“Ignorance is bliss.”

It meant nothing to me for the longest time.

Just another quote. Another cliché. Another thing wise people said.

But now, slightly older, perhaps a bit wiser, and definitely a thinker; I’ve begun to feel its weight. Not just its wisdom, but the darker shadow behind it.

Walking Down the Memory Lane

There was a time I lived life on autopilot.

I was that guy.

The one who said yes to drinks, smoking, to staying up all night, driving 150 KMph to doing stupid things without blinking.

The one who believed in the “right” belief, the “right” politics, and the “right” way of living; as passed down by elders, mentors, unquestioned traditions and unsaid rules of the Society.

I didn’t really care what I wanted. I didn’t ask questions. I didn’t know I could.

I was ignorant.

And back then, it wasn’t even a bad thing.

Then Something Shifted

Somewhere along the way, I don’t even know how; things began to change.

I started observing the world. Society. Religion. Human behavior.

I stumbled upon words like perspective, bias, identity, conditioning, conflict.

I started studying geopolitics. Philosophy. Culture. Psychology. Interfaith dialogue. Colonialism. War.

I met people from different countries, regions, beliefs, faiths and backgrounds.

Suddenly, the world wasn’t a script I was blindly performing in.

It was a layered, conflicting, confusing drama and I started seeing too much of it.

And how It All Came Crashing Down

For first 25 years of my life, I was a background character in my own story.

Life happened to me, and I let it.

But now, this new self; armed with information and introspection — couldn’t unsee what it had seen.

I started questioning my beliefs. My role. My very identity.

And the more I read, the more I thought… the more confused I became.

I wasn’t ignorant anymore.

But now, I also didn’t know what I actually wanted.

That’s the paradox, isn’t it?

An ignorant man may fight and die for a cause without flinching.

He’ll burn with certainty.

He won’t question, hesitate, or collapse.

Sometimes, I envy that.

Because when you start seeing all the sides of everything, your convictions start to blur.

And with that — so does your peace.

So… What Now?

If you came to this blog hoping for answers — a final piece of the life puzzle, then I’m sorry.

Because you’re not ignorant either.

You’re here. Reading. Thinking. Feeling.

Trying to understand something about yourself or the world.

Meanwhile, the truly ignorant are asleep; snoring peacefully after a long day of trolling strangers online, screaming into echo chambers, pushing their opinions and defending their inherited beliefs.

They don’t lie awake wondering about meaning.

They don’t ache for clarity.

We do.

Somewhere Between Emerson and Exhausion

Yes ! I think deeply about life now.

I think about purpose, values, vision, and legacy.

I want to impact humanity — like Ralph Waldo Emerson or JRD Tata; And like few others I admire.

I want to add value to others’ lives, as many have added to mine.

But there’s another side to this.

Sometimes, I feel mentally exhausted.

Emotionally spent.

Like my heart and head are both drained by these endless “bigger deeds” I chase in an insignificant world.

And in those moments when nothing makes sense and everything feels heavy —

I finally understand what that phrase means: “Ignorance is bliss.”

And maybe, just for a fleeting second… I wish I could go back. But I really don’t want to and honestly I can’t as well.

A Poetic Ending to this philosophical dilemma where “To be” is the only Choice.

I see the world now, messy and wide,

No longer shielded by the simpler side.

Yet some days I miss that peaceful abyss—

And truly understand… ignorance is bliss.

Hence, I conclude that

“The cost of knowing is the comfort of not needing to.”