Ignorance is bliss

There is a phrase that when I first heard it, I had no idea what it meant. the phrase is "Ignorance Is Bliss." I have come to find what it really means is you can remain happy not knowing about certain things in your life. Now I used to take this phrase too far. When I first became a mechanic, I wanted nothing to do with anything that was foreign, or modern. It could've been because I had heard others gripe about fuel injection at the time and how complicated it was or it could've been my Great Grandfather, a World War II vet talk about the Japanese. ( I won't say the word he used. not because I think it's bad because it's not, it's just an abbreviation, but I don't want to get in trouble in the future. sad.) But for whatever reason I was dead set against having anything to do with anything modern or foreign.

I had a late night realization when I was about 14. To be a good mechanic, you have to work on everything old or new. To be a good mechanic, you have to be just as willing to work when somebody comes to you with a Mercedes Benz as you would a 57 Chevy. this prompted me at a young age to want to be a "Foreign Car Specialist". I laugh at that term now because when I first heard it, I literally thought that meant all you knew how to work on was foreign cars, and that you were either German or Japanese. Not true, it just means you might be more accustomed to one brand and are able to do flat rate work in a shorter time than most.

That's an example of when ignorance is not bliss, it's just ignorance. However, there are some things I could be happier not knowing. As I've grown older, I keep finding out things about people I knew weather at school, at church, or in the community. Some of these people I grew up thinking were the nicest, kind, loving people I knew. at least they were to me. Then, I will hear about some scandal and have a completely different image and it's not really an image I want. I want the old one. I don't want to know that a teacher I had was accused of having an affair and then married the counselor. I don't want to know that my Great Grandmother played favorites. I want the old images I had growing up.

One of the latest things that has come to mind is a study about genetic identifiers for Autism from Seattle Childrens http://pulse.seattlechildrens.org/seattle-childrens-researcher-finds-genetic-identifier-for-autism/ . In this study there things about Autism discussed that disturbed me. the one that really bothered me was when they talked about physical features of Autism. They claimed a prominent forehead, wide set eyes, trouble sleeping and constipation were features they could see in older children with autism as well as when they genetically modified zebrafish. As if there aren't enough things in this world  for a human to be physically self conscious about! Not only that, they're working on trying to identify autism in utero by identifying these physical traits. AS IF WE NEED ANOTHER REASON FOR PEOPLE TO DECIDE THEY NEED AN ABORTION! I would've been a lot happier never reading this article. but even further than that, I would be a lot happier if it didn't exist because I would eventually hear it from somebody because Autism in my opinion is the new ADD.

There you have it. Ignorance truly can be bliss.