Don’t Ignore This!

Some of us think of ignorance as a terrible thing; shaking our jaded heads at those who seem oblivious to the world. We think “they’ll learn” and even feel a little bit of self-satisfaction when they stumble.

And yet we also secretly long for those days of innocence and even say that “ignorance is bliss.”

Well, ignorance is more than bliss; it will actually get you into places where your “intelligence” will fear to take you.

Ignorance can sometimes mean “naïve,” sometimes mean “dumb,” but its root word is “ignore.” To ignore something is quite difference that being dumb about it. Selective ignoring may in fact be a very smart thing after all.

The saying “Ignorance will get you into places where your ‘intelligence’ will fear to take you” came when I was talking to a wannabe actress who didn’t know that you weren’t “supposed to” just walk into one of the biggest talent agencies in town and just ask to be seen. There are “rules” after all, that says you have to work your way up to such people. Well, they ended up signing her for representation. **

The point it, there are no “rules” per se. There may be behaviors that are better than others; we may certainly “reap what we sow” but we’re the ones who create the barriers, or find our way around them. Being unaware of the blockages can help you succeed, but it’s often contributed to “beginner’s luck.”

Knowing that the blockages are there and openly choosing to ignore them is quite another matter. There was a time when the world was flat, when people couldn’t travel faster than 30 miles per hour or that human flight was impossible (let alone making it to the moon). Those who achieved it knew the challenges ahead, and chose to ignore the “impossible.”

It’s important to remember that as long as we’re in the present moment, we can only make our best guess about tomorrow. If we are afraid of it, or think something can’t be done, we won’t even try. That will insure that it doesn’t happen (and often proves us “right” in our minds that it couldn’t be done). Yet the truth is: we’ll never really know if we never really try.

Things to ignore:

It “can’t be done”
No one else ever did it
It’s too dangerous
It’s not worth it
Other people will think you’re a fool
“You’ll be sorry”
People shake their heads at me all the time, thinking that I “just don’t get it.” I smile at their “patience” with me…

… and their own ignorance.

“Never be fooled by a dedicated “Fool.” They may just be ignoring the impossible.”


Footnote:
** I wish I could say she’s now famous, but it was a long time ago, I only spoke with her briefly and never even got her name; so she very well may be.

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