Living in ignorance is not bliss: the life of a not-so-informed citizen

By Alex Maiorana
December 13, 2018

Speaking from personal experience, just because you are unaware of the world’s problems doesn’t mean you live free of the implied issues that come with them. Nor do you live without other personal problems.

First off I do not watch the news. I don’t get the chance often and if I am being honest I wouldn’t if I did. Because of that, I lack some of the knowledge a lot of other people do have. Do I often misunderstand some conversations? Sure. Am I that upset by it? Not really.

Generic News logo-Photo from Pixabay

I tend to think that dealing with a person’s own problems before delving into others’ is important. Of course there are things that I do know. It’s hard not to hear about some stuff. I know I don’t want to hear about the problems someone in senate is having while I’m having a mental breakdown about whether or not I’m going to pass a class.

Not only is it unnecessary to hear because it will make me feel worse in general, but it tends to be a distraction from whatever I am working on. Personally speaking, when I do get caught up in a news story it’s hard to focus on anything else. It causes a lack of work to get done, sleep problems, eating problems, and a list of others.

The same goes for social justice issues. I know little bits, but it’s hard to pick a side without knowing all of the information. I would have to spend a lot of time investigating, time that I do not have, so instead I stay neutral and just listen to the bits that I do hear.

Those little bits may not be a lot, but they are enough to at times keep me in some sort of loop. I know enough to have an opinion on the matter, but not enough to really have an opinion that is developed.

If  I were to get involved I would surely get too caught up and I’m all too aware of the backlash that comes with having an opinion. Once you have an opinion it stays that way regardless of anything you say later. If you offend the wrong person it makes more things difficult.

Say, for example, I want a job as a radio host. When I apply for the job and the employer sees I’ve made a statement that opposes their own beliefs it becomes a problem. While workplaces are usually intended not to be biased that’s just the way the world works

I’ve received backlash about the way I go about things in the past, but I’ve gotten over it. I believe that, while news can be very important, people need to put an emphasis on themselves and make sure they are stable before trying to solve the bigger problem.

While I do at times find comfort in my lack of worldly knowledge it still has an impact on me. Whether I know about the issue or not it can affect me in both positive and negative ways.

I am a middle-class citizen, I know that the gap between classes is increasing at a rapid rate and I should be concerned about my future and the future of our nation as a whole. The issue when gaining that knowledge on a much more intricate becomes a lack of confidence. Not only in myself, but in others.

As I do not wish to burden myself with the depressing state of pretty much everything, I stay neutral and I stay uninformed.

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Alex Maiorana

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