There are times when not knowing something can be a blessing and other times it is a curse.
I’ve known for some time that living far from my family has its pros and cons. One of the pros is not being involved in the petty arguments that seem to crop up from time to time. I hear tidbits here and there – “so and so isn’t talking to me because of such and such” or “did you hear your brother/sister isn’t talking to {other} brother/sister because of something.” At these times, I just smile and count myself lucky to not have to deal with these squabbles. I’m sure I only hear about a fraction of them; for which I am even more grateful.
It was only recently that I felt similarly about the work environment. I have been primarily telecommuting with an occasional day in the office. Recently, while having an online chat with a co-worker, they mentioned some confrontation that had gone on between a few management level employees. My first thought, was, “no one tells me anything.” However, this was quickly followed by a sigh of relief that I don’t have to get involved in these disputes. It was very freeing, knowing that you don’t have to waste any cycles on something that won’t matter in a month, let alone a year. How much more productive have I been not having to worry about who insulted who and what was going to come of it. I could just merrily continue on with my work, blissful in my ignorance.
Not long ago, I cancelled my satellite TV subscription; partly to save money but partly because I barely watched it. I would turn on the news in the morning, and occasionally in the evening. The Home and Garden Television channel was one of my indulgences, as well; but when I factored in the cost per channel and cost per hour of use, it was no longer worthwhile. (I can say that now that football season is over – ask me again in August when pre-season starts.)
It was a little disconcerting in the beginning, not knowing what was going on in the area, let alone the world, but as weeks have gone by, I noticed how much more time I have. Months would go by and I would not have read a single book. Now, it’s rare that I don’t spend an hour or more in that pleasant form of escape.
While I should still try and keep up with major current events, I can always check the headlines online and read anything that piques my interest. Ignorance of all the atrocities in the world, doled out ad nauseam on the news, is another kind of bliss. It’s not that I don’t care about some of these events; it’s just too easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer number of them.
Now there are instances where ignorance will never be bliss. For instance, if my significant other was having an affair, my child was engaging in drugs or alcohol abuse, someone close to me was having health issues, or an employee was stealing from my company; those I would want to know about. No matter how much pain this news might cause, I really would want to know these things. The difference, I believe, comes down to who is affected by the events. Anything that affects me, either directly or moderately indirectly, I would want to know about. The remainder is on a need to know basis.
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About musingmirror
A writer of many genres, always in search of creative inspiration.
MusingMirror 2 
Ignorance can be Bliss
There are times when not knowing something can be a blessing and other times it is a curse.
I’ve known for some time that living far from my family has its pros and cons. One of the pros is not being involved in the petty arguments that seem to crop up from time to time. I hear tidbits here and there – “so and so isn’t talking to me because of such and such” or “did you hear your brother/sister isn’t talking to {other} brother/sister because of something.” At these times, I just smile and count myself lucky to not have to deal with these squabbles. I’m sure I only hear about a fraction of them; for which I am even more grateful.
It was only recently that I felt similarly about the work environment. I have been primarily telecommuting with an occasional day in the office. Recently, while having an online chat with a co-worker, they mentioned some confrontation that had gone on between a few management level employees. My first thought, was, “no one tells me anything.” However, this was quickly followed by a sigh of relief that I don’t have to get involved in these disputes. It was very freeing, knowing that you don’t have to waste any cycles on something that won’t matter in a month, let alone a year. How much more productive have I been not having to worry about who insulted who and what was going to come of it. I could just merrily continue on with my work, blissful in my ignorance.
Not long ago, I cancelled my satellite TV subscription; partly to save money but partly because I barely watched it. I would turn on the news in the morning, and occasionally in the evening. The Home and Garden Television channel was one of my indulgences, as well; but when I factored in the cost per channel and cost per hour of use, it was no longer worthwhile. (I can say that now that football season is over – ask me again in August when pre-season starts.)
It was a little disconcerting in the beginning, not knowing what was going on in the area, let alone the world, but as weeks have gone by, I noticed how much more time I have. Months would go by and I would not have read a single book. Now, it’s rare that I don’t spend an hour or more in that pleasant form of escape.
While I should still try and keep up with major current events, I can always check the headlines online and read anything that piques my interest. Ignorance of all the atrocities in the world, doled out ad nauseam on the news, is another kind of bliss. It’s not that I don’t care about some of these events; it’s just too easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer number of them.
Now there are instances where ignorance will never be bliss. For instance, if my significant other was having an affair, my child was engaging in drugs or alcohol abuse, someone close to me was having health issues, or an employee was stealing from my company; those I would want to know about. No matter how much pain this news might cause, I really would want to know these things. The difference, I believe, comes down to who is affected by the events. Anything that affects me, either directly or moderately indirectly, I would want to know about. The remainder is on a need to know basis.
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About musingmirror
A writer of many genres, always in search of creative inspiration.