Recently, I happened to read a very healthy (sic) discussion-turned-debate-turned-english essay on karma, dharma, fruit, cultural roots.
Empty mind, devil's stadium - my thoughts ran and ran till it could stand no longer, breathe no longer and think no longer. My mind and to top it empty! I made my thoughts run, wide and far. No tracks required. When I could not think of anything substantial, I went back to the drawing board; the same healthy and organic discussion on fruits and roots. And I was shocked! In my emptiness and overfilled thought trails, I had actually become a contributor to the script unfolding on the culture vulture page. I immediately withdrew myself from it.
Just then, a new thought sprinted across my stadium. In withdrawing myself from a highly contextual topic, was I avoiding getting involved or was I ignoring the existence of a problem? Was I helping myself or actually alienating myself from reality to an extent that I am left alone laughing at myself? I was done and huffing under my nose. I had begun to react again to reality, when a new ray of thought shone on me.
In any survey, debate and issue based discussion, why is it that the category of "I don't know", "may be", "I don't care", "it doesn't matter" and the likes always ridiculed? Why is it always necessary to take sides? Why do I have to be called a majority or a minority?
What is so wrong about being ignorant?
Marathon mind kept thinking. The new thought shouted, its not ignorance. Ignorance is when i knowingly do not show any interest to observe, learn, grow and contribute to the existence of a concept. With time, I loose sight. I fail to gain any knowledge, whatsoever. I have no clue about it. e.g. I am ignorant of golf. Or say, what do you call the car chase…. Yeah, F1. I just don’t get it. I did try to get a hang of these things. Just could not get it. So, left it at that. That is ignorance to me.
But then, there is something which is different from ignorance. There are things which are highly relevant, very contextual. You are fully aware of the phenomenon and if need be, can actually be a part of the problem, if not the solution! But you choose to refrain. You decide to not participate.
You avoid.
Most people mistake other people avoiding something as their ignorance. They assume silence as ignorance. And that’s where lies the juice of the matter. According to me, when people ignore, they ignore the topic. They are least bothered what’s good or bad in it. They are happy till the time it does not physically strain them. When people avoid, they do it on purpose. They take a judicious call not to get involved. They avoid the psychological strain. They don’t ignore the topic.
They avoid the environment. They avoid the people involved. They avoid getting sucked into something which may make them react which is not their natural self. So, even in avoiding, they choose to be themselves. Anything wrong with that? I don’t think so. Till this point my mind was with me. I had successfully ignored the majority and avoided the minority.
The race was still on. Now, I running behind my thoughts. My thoughts were running behind a cause. The stadium was still empty. I avoided the silent echo.
Cheers
K
16th June 2012
