Korea Institute of Psycho-education: Knowledge is power vs. ignorance is bliss

There are two contradictory sayings : 'knowledge is power' and 'ignorance is bliss'. Both knowledge and ignorance can be beneficial or detrimental depending on circumstances. Knowledge is obtained by accumulating and internalizing information and experiences. When you have accumulated and internalized knowledge inside you, whether your knowledge is an accurate one or a distorted one is crucial. Having accurate knowledge contributes to promoting happiness in life for yourself and for people around you. On the other hand, having distorted knowledge negatively affects not only your life but also lives of people around you.

The above argument also applies to understanding the operational mechanism of human mind and psychology. Understanding in distorted ways how emotions work in yourself and other people negatively affects your life as much as distorted knowledge about other matters does. When you accurately understand how your mind operates and how stress and psychological wounds develop, you can prevent and solve problems related with not only your own psychology but also human relationships. Distorted knowledge on mind and psychology may aggravate your psychological conditions and relationships with people as time passes or as you take wrong measures. Accurate knowledge on mind and psychology can be power, with which you can build happiness in life.

When we believe and implement the saying, 'knowledge is power', it is essential to build accurate knowledge instead of distorted knowledge. Distorted knowledge will lead you to a distorted life and 'ignorance may actually be bliss' if your knowledge is a distorted one. It is better not to know at all than having distorted knowledge. Not having either accurate or distorted knowledge may neither promote nor destroy happiness in life of yours and other people's. People who have distorted knowledge may destroy not only their life but also lives of many innocent and ignorant people. They may even denounce people who have accurate knowledge being falsely convinced that only their knowledge is an accurate one. When you yourself have accurate knowledge, you will not be affected by people who disseminate distorted knowledge and will build happiness in life on your own.

When you do not experience stress and psychological wounds, it may be a case of the saying, 'ignorance is bliss'. Then, you have neither knowledge nor power, and you have neither happiness nor unhappiness. Such a psychological condition is almost impossible in most people who live in human relationships, but it may be possible when you live all by yourself in a deep forest. You don't have to think, feel, or suffer, and have no ability to prevent or solve diverse problems in life.

When humans experience difficulties in life, they develop the desire for understanding and overcoming difficulties and make efforts to have knowledge and correct the situation. You may have thought that 'ignorance is bliss' so far, but once you experience difficulties, you may change to think that 'knowledge is power'. When you build accurate knowledge and make efforts to correct the situation and build happiness, you can contribute to happiness of yours and other people's.

On the other hand, when you decide to live without difficulties including stress and psychological wounds, you may think that 'ignorance is bliss'. The only way to achieve such a life style is to live all by yourself without forming any human relationship. You don't have to know anything about human mind and psychology, since all you need is survival as a biological human being. If you decide to go to a desert island and live all by yourself, you must erase all you memories about past human relationships since your knowledge and experiences that were accumulated and internalized based on human relationships makes it impossible for you to live as a person without any human relationship.

When you believe that 'ignorance is bliss' and act accordingly still living in human relationships, it is highly likely that you will be taken advantage of by other people without even realizing it and live an unhappy life. The saying, 'knowledge is power' is more appropriate and valuable than the saying, 'ignorance is bliss' in order to build happiness in life, but we must always be vigilant on whether our knowledge is an accurate one or a distorted one.