Ignorance: is it really bliss?

            “Ignorance is bliss” is a saying I hear too often for my liking.  I don’t understand how anybody could agree with such a ridiculous statement.  Of course there are always things we would rather not know, but don’t people ever stop and think, what are the benefits of knowing? Ignorance certainly isn’t bliss in my book. I’d rather know the truth and deal with it, than live a lie.

            This is a never-ending argument I’ve had with many friends, and I just can’t find it in myself to believe that ignorance is really bliss. This might be because I am the type of person that wants to know everything.  I think that there are better outcomes when you know things rather than being ignorant about it. An example people bring up all the time are “If someone knew when you were going to die, wouldn’t you rather not know?” and my answer will always be no. If ever faced with a situation where somebody knew when I was going to die, I would rather know. Why? Because then I could spend all of my time doing all of the things I know I would like to do before my passing. A friend of mine said he would rather live his life not knowing, but then you don’t get to live your life accomplishing every single thing you would want to before you die.  There is also the whole “I wouldn’t want to know if my significant other cheated on me”, but I think that’s an absurd argument. It is better to know the truth and face it, than to pretend it never happened. If someone cheats on you and you don’t know and you continue dating him or her, you are being lied to and betrayed.  I understand why some people would rather not know certain things, but I am not one of those people.

            I think those who believe ignorance is bliss are scared to face the truth of a situation. Although it may hurt or it may be scary, I believe it is easier to control a situation if you know it. Me being a realist may also play into why I don’t believe ignorance is bliss. I see a situation as it is and am prepared to deal with it the way it needs to be dealt with. Usually I get mistaken for a pessimist, but not in the slightest. I would just prefer not to be given a false sense of hope of security and deal with crushed dreams or expectations because that’s life. 

2011: The end of it all

            Throughout a person’s life, a lot is learned from experience. I’ve been through a lot and it’s only been sixteen years and nine months. I expect much more to come my way. Some people live through the rules of the Bible or other holy scriptures. It is what they look to for comfort and security. Me on the other hand, look to Harry Potter. Harry Potter has had the biggest influence on my life and who I am today. If it weren’t for Harry Potter, I would, without a doubt, be a completely different person.

            When I was seven years old, my mother bought me Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, better know in the US as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I was hooked like a fish! It was the most unbelievably, brilliantly, joyous story I had read in my entire life. Everything changed from that moment on. Every time a new book came out, I bought it and read it. This series opened up a whole new world for me.

            After reading a couple of the Harry Potter books, I started picking up all sorts of books at the library and Barnes and Nobles. I became engaged in regular reading. I realized how wonderful it is to get lost in the world of the book. When I read, I visualized the entire story in my head. I was pleased to find that when the Harry Potter movies came out, I wasn’t disappointed in any of the character or set design decisions. It was all exactly as I pictured it.

            Just writing this blog makes my heart warm and my eyes fill with tears. For the past ten years of my life, I have been living in my own world of magic. Harry Potter is my escape from reality. When I read the books, about the books, when I see the movies, I feel connected to them. I feel as though I belong in the wizarding world of Harry Potter. Harry Potter is my number one in life. I put it above anyone and anything. I have learned more in the Harry Potter books than I could in life. Although the series are fiction, the morals are real. Harry Potter isn’t just about a wizard who is fighting for his life. It’s about strength. Finding hope and power within to fight your biggest battles. It’s about loyalty, being there for your friends during their darkest times and helping them overcome it. It’s about honesty, never lying to your friends or your enemies. It’s about climbing the tallest mountains and swimming the killer waves. Harry Potter is a story about seeing the light at the end of the narrow tunnel, even if you think you’ll never make it, as long as you never give up.

Ever since being diagnosed with severe depression four years ago, life has been a drag. Whenever I’m feeling down, I remind myself that if Harry can do it, so can I. Nobody understands my true love for this series. I might not know all of the nitty-gritty details, and I might not remember every single detail, but my love for these books is like nothing else in this world. November 19^th (two days before my birthday!) part one of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is released in cinemas. Part two, is to be released July 2011. I am going to be a lost soul once this series ends. After the books series was fully released, I had only the movies to still look forward to. Now that it is all officially coming to an end, I am slowly, beginning to feel nostalgic. To think that the biggest part of my life is ending, it unbelievable, but thankfully, it will always be around no matter what. It’s not the same as waiting every two years for a new movie, but I will always have the books to turn too and I will soon have the full DVD set as well. Harry Potter will forever and ever be my number one. Thank you J.K. Rowling for giving me the best thing I could ever ask for in life: strength, hope, and Harry Potter. 

Puritans

            Throughout history, the Puritans have been given a bad reputation because of their cruel, unacceptable ways.  They came to America to be set free. They wanted to be able to practice what they believed in the way they wanted to. Sadly, that progressed into something much larger. The Puritans believed that they were more pure than man. They were intolerant and punished those who they felt were sinners. Although they came to America for the right reasons, they approached it the wrong way. America is and has been a place of diversity and because the Puritans were not acceptive of other people's diversity they resulted in evil punishment. An example of this is the Salem Witchcraft trials where the Puritanical ways restricted the freedom of others. Although the Puritans came to American to pursue their version of the American dream, their ways resulted in a bad reputation for them that is well deserved.

            I do believe that the Puritans deserve the reputation they have today. On page thirteen of the article, there is a section describing a train of ideas that because the Puritans came to America on search of their needs, it lead others to follow. That is a positive impact the Puritans had, but it doesn't disregard the their misdoings. The Puritans followed their American Dream and attempted to "work up" to what they wanted, but it resulted in them rejecting anyone who was different from them. They went against their own religious beliefs and somehow found that it was justified to perform the acts they did. I feel as though because they were so parochial, it prevented others from pursuing their own American Dream which is counteractive.

            The only reason I would say that the Puritans do not deserve the reputation they have is because they were doing what they felt were necessarily for them to flourish and be the religion and people they felt they should be. It all depends on your own view of right and wrong to establish whether someone has done something evil or not. It is against my morals to kill others for my own personal gain, mistreat people based on ethnicity, gender, etc., but because it wasn't to them, they didn't see it as wrong, and there might be people out in the world who would agree. They did what they thought was necessary and I don't think that's wrong, but the way they went upon it and handled everything was. If I was forced to choose between the two though, they do indeed deserve the reputation they have. 

How the American Dream affects me

        What is the "American Dream"? Based on my knowledge, I'd say the American Dream is working up to a better life not only for you, but for your children too. My parents both came from Brazil when they were in their twenties, but they didn't come together. They met here in the great ol' US of A. As most immigrants, they came to pursue a better life. Brazil, being a third world country, didn't (and still doesn't) have all of the advantages the States have/had. They were both searching to get a better job, make more money, and give their child a better life that they never had. Sounds like the American Dream, right? Well sadly, that didn't happen.

        My mom attended and graduated from college in Brazil and even worked for the government. Sadly, that didn't mean anything in the States. Her college degree meant as much as the dirt on the floor. It also didn't help that she didn't speak much English. Most places that she tried to work at required a basic knowledge of English that she didn't gain until later on. My mom was forced to work at Whole Foods in the back lifting heavy packages. Eventually, that caught up with her and she was injured. She got a check for the injury, but because of the injury, she was unable to find any other job. She was forced to become self-employed as a house cleaner. Everything went downhill from then.

        My parents got divorced when I was five years old. My dad moved out and I cannot tell you where he went to live. For the net eleven years, my father was an absent figure in my life. He didn't pay child support, which forced my mom to work twice as hard. Until this day, my mom is still a house cleaner, but she also a nanny for a family. It is just the two of us and she makes barely enough to support us. She works very hard, but is not climbing up the economic ladder in the slightest. She did on the other hand, climb up the social ladder. She got her visa when I was very young, but recently became a citizen of the United States. Me, being born in the US and having both Brazilian parents, am a citizen of both the US and Brazil, thankfully. 

        My parents are the reason why I hate the idea of the American Dream, yet still follow it. Because they were in search of the "American Dream" they moved to a country where they were and still are looked down upon. There are many people in this country that think immigrants are burdens and should go back to where they came from. I feel as though the hatred for immigrants is tripled when it comes to immigrants from the south. I believe if my parents had stayed in Brazil, they would have been better off. All of my family in Brazil is successful and will be living the "Brazilian Dream". My father resides in Brazil again and he loves it. I am upset that my mom is stuck living here, working her butt off and making little money. But because my parents search for the American Dream didn't necessarily go right, I am hard working. I have to get good grades and do very well in school if I want to succeed and go to college. I have no college fund so doing poorly in school is out of the question. They are my motivation to do well in life. Although life for us is very difficult and has emotionally affected us in terrible ways, I don't think I would have it any other way. I am a more mature, respectable, and responsible person because of their life's effect on me.