Ignorance is not bliss.

I want to write about something that has been bugging me for a long time. About “how to live”. It is something that is touched upon in the book “Ishmael” by Daniel Quinn. In the book they talk about the fact that there is no “one right way to live”. Civilization versus Aboriginals, Stoney vs. Cree, etc. At the end of the day, we all have certain “laws of nature” by which we are bound. For example, in nature you never see a species (other than man) who goes out of their way to reduce competitors. For example, farmers who kill off fox/wolves/etc. because they attack their sheep/hogs/etc. This is not done in the wild. A lion does not kill all of the hyena because they also eat gazelle. But this is something which humans do. We put our own needs and wants first, at the expense of every other creature on the planet.

And why? For what? What do we really gain out of all this? Security? Not really. Most of us  sill struggle to get enough food on the table, if you look at humans as a species. We still have murder, rape, kidnapping and all sorts of other “hideous” parts of society. And again, for what? What are we gaining out of all this. What do we gain by hating other species or races or people as we do? What drives someone to kill another because they want their corrupt leader to keep ruling. What drives people to believe in a cause so much that they would die for it. We are deeply complex creatures.

So complex that we believe we can be Gods. That we can “rule” the natural world. Well I hate to break it to you, we don’t. And I firmly believe that no matter what our scientists find out, man will never be as good at creating and maintaining nature, than nature is itself. Tsunamis and other natural disasters are mighty in their power. And while humans may have missiles, AK 47s and atomic bombs, which are horrifically destructive, somehow we can look at a ‘natural disaster’ and see the beauty as well as the horror. I can’t do that with the atomic bomb. I see no beauty.

I am not sure why humans are so full of hate. I am not sure why we spend so much of our time in fear. I’m not sure why we spend so much of our time worrying about other people’s opinions of ourselves. Why aren’t more people outraged by things like rape and poverty? What are we saying as a collective when people are more willing to hold on to their feuds and hate then they are to creating peaceful solutions. Why do we spend so much more of our time focusing on our differences than on our similarities.

When I look at the state of the world, sometimes I feel depressed. I feel like humanity is such a blight on the world that we should be wiped out. And in many ways, we are doing it to ourselves. Not only through war, but the war on food. With pesticides and chemicals. We are poisoning our environment so badly that I wonder how much longer it will tolerate us.

I don’t want to die because of companies like Monsanto, unilaterally deciding that they should rule the food production. I don’t want to die of thirst because Coca Cola and other companies decided to steal our water and then sell it back to us at 1000 times the price. I want to live in a world where I don’t fear for the lives out generations not yet born.

And while I am an optimist. While I do believe there are people making a difference, trying to change the status quo, many times I wonder what it will take for it to really get started. What sort of catastrophic event needs to take place before we learn. Before we change.

I do believe change is possible. I do believe information is out there to convince us of the truth. I want more people to be inspired to learn about the truth. Not the sort of thing an advertising company comes up with. I want people to watch documentaries. I want people to get fired up. I want people to start looking at the world around them, without the rose coloured glasses.

I want for people to understand that we cannot keep on the way we are living. Especially those of us in the “west”. I want our collective global culture to start taking women seriously. To stop a culture of violence towards women. Since when did being a woman be such a horrible thing. Why are we still paid only $0.71 to every $1 a man earns?

My question is, why are there so many injustices. I know it can’t be just me. I cannot be the only person who looks at the state of the world and wonders how we ended up this way. I cannot be the only person who wants to see a change.

But who has the balls to do something about it. I’m not talking about starting an NGO or having some sort of protest. I mean generally, when will people wake up. When will people open their eyes. When will we, as a collective, be able to take back what is rightfully ours. I’m not just talking about things like our water or our food supply. But when will we take back our minds. When will we give ourselves permission to learn more about sex trafficking, corruption, and environmental degradation. When will we allow ourselves to wake up and take a stand.

I see a lot of fear. People afraid of really saying what they want to say. Do what they want to do. If you hate your job, quit. If you want to travel and see the world, do it. If you want to attack somebody, well you know very well that’s not what I mean. Why did we become so afraid of our own voices. When did we start ignoring that little voice inside that guided us through life. That told us when something wasn’t fair. That told us to walk to the right rather than the left.

Life is a big, messy, beautiful thing. I have so much respect for life and sometimes I wonder if people have lost respect for their lives. Did we forget that we can shape our own lives? Did we forget we can say “fuck off” to the creepy guy at the bar. Why do we allow people to push us down or repress us?

At what point is enough enough. This letter isn’t about being angry. It’s about feeling like I can’t be the only person who wants things to be differently. I just know it. But at the same time, I am sure many of you just feel hopeless and wonder where to begin.

What I will say to you is this. Talk about it. Encourage a conversation. And if all else fails, start with your own life. If you don’t want to encourage something, then make your own small protest. Stop supporting companies who perform atrocities. Stop supporting people who encourage hate. Stop listening to Pastors who tell you homosexuality is a sin and then rape young boys and girls. Start buying products directly from someone who made them. Re-educate yourself on our own history, and look for it in unconventional places.

What I am asking of you is to do your “democratic” duty. Get informed. Not just of the next political leader, but of everything. Watch documentaries, get out there and share your opinions. Don’t be afraid of saying something wrong. I can tell you that sometimes I learn more by being completely wrong, then I do from being right.

So the next time you are bored, go to top documentary films or documentary heaven. Pick a topic of interest, like psychology, food, environment, war, music, etc. and learn more.

Don’t be afraid to learn about what’s wrong with the world. Or how else will we ever find solutions? More importantly, throw “qualifications” out of the window. You have a pair of eyes, right? You have a sense of smell, taste, touch, and hearing. Use them. If something doesn’t smell right, there is probably a reason. When you know something is wrong, you can try to find a solution. If you don’t know a problem exists, you will never seek it out.

I’m here to tell you, things are going wrong. This is not some sort of apocalyptic message, nor is it meant to frighten you (the media has that covered). No. What I am asking is for you to start learning again. Ignorance is not bliss. No one likes to feel left in the dark. No one wants to be excluded. So don’t exclude yourself. Get out there and change your mind about something.

And then most importantly, share it. Teach someone about it. Or at least talk about it.

So what are you waiting for? After all the only thing we can control is ourselves. I am asking you, nicely, to start looking at ways in which you can be part of the solution.