The cost of being happy
If you find yourself reading my post today, you might wonder what being happy has to do with the Brooklyn Bridge. Well, just hold on and I will lay it all out for you. First, let me tell you a story.
A long long time ago, there was a guy named George C. Parker. Parker lived from 1860 to about 1937 according to Wikipedia and he was quite possibly one of the most well known con men of his generation.
The main crux of his scam was to sell some of New York Cities most famous public landmarks to ill informed and unwary immigrants who had just arrived in the United States. Most notably, the Brooklyn Bridge which he sold several times over to different people.
Unfortunately, Parker's misdeeds caught up with him and he ended up dying in Sing Sing Prison in New York.
Despite that, he continues to live on in infamy and from his exploits the phrase was coined:
"If you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you"
As time has passed, people who are familiar with the phrase know that it's synonymous with people who are easily fooled or gullible.
I've mentioned before that I grew up in a pretty sheltered home. We weren't Amish or Mennonite or anything like that, but we didn't get exposed to a lot of the more unsavory things this world has to offer. As I grew older, I picked up some stuff here and there on my own, but looking back I was still pretty "green".
My sister and I both did fairly well in school. I wasn't at the top of my class or anything, but I got good grades and I graduated somewhere in the top 20%. School wasn't hard, but I did have to work a bit to keep my grades at an acceptable level for my parents. My sister on the other hand always had her head buried in a book. When I would want her to come outside and play she would rather be reading.
As a result, my sister is rather "book smart", but I wouldn't consider her "street smart". She might contest that, but deep down she probably knows it's true.
I was thinking back recently to the general naivety we had when we were younger and what we know of the world today, and I found myself longing for that time when I was basically clueless. I think we can all agree there is a lot of crappy stuff happening in the world today. The further you dig into it the more disgusted you get.
If I think back really hard I can remember a time when I wasn't so cynical, a time when I had a bit more hope for the future and the world I lived in. I'm not saying my life is crappy (far from it), but it's not too hard to look around and see the flaws.
I honestly think a lot of the turn for me happened when I started working retail. Those three years as a salesman at Radio Shack showed me a side of people that I never knew existed before. To say it was eye opening would be an understatement.
Inevitably, my reminiscing to a time when I was less jaded got me thinking about the idea of happiness. I have a friend who purposely chooses not to watch the news or keep up with basically any current events in the world. I wouldn't say she is happier than me (due to other reasons), but sometimes her ignorance about the ugliness that is happening in the world is almost enviable.
Ultimately, that led me down this thought path:
"Is it better to be dumb and happy than informed and... miserable?"
I would venture to guess there are a quite a few people in this world who have absolutely zero clue (in more ways than one), but they are probably happier than any of us may ever be in our entire lives. I'm not trying to guess at what you life is like. It's just a thought that occured to me and the main reason I felt this post fit well into the #reflections community started by @tarazkp.
I'll be the first to admit, I don't have any answers for you today, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. I think it's safe to say there are aspects of this world that we all wish didn't exist or at the very least we were able to ignore.
Is that healthy though? Ignoring it doesn't make it go away, but once you life that veil, can you go on living pretending you don't know what is behind it?
I truly want to believe that the world is mostly good and everyone has everyone else's best interests at heart.
Then again, "If you believe that, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you".
Sports Talk Social - @bozz.sports
New term to use if that someone is dumb.😁 True, now that I'm older. I realize adulting is hard.😪
For sure it is!
All we can do is to survive. 😁
If you knew that most of what we know are lies, you'd be creating your own reality with like-minded people
https://rumble.com/v4yawcr-live-world-premiere-old-world-order-everything-weve-been-told-is-a-lie.html
It's definitely hard to tell the difference these days!
Ignorance is bliss, eh?
It's interesting that you grew up that way. I think one of the hallmarks of our generation is deep cynicism about everything, probably due to use generally seeing the truth of the world pretty early and thus turning cynical.
I'd say knowledge is better. I think the more you learn about people and see the true motivations about everything, the more understanding and less cynical you become. Maybe that's just me. I worked at Meijer for 4 years in college, and yeah, you really see the dark side of people in retail. But when you start to understand why people are that way, it helps. Same for when you look at government corruption and how disgusting it all is, but realizing the basic human motivations that lead to some of these actions help avoiding becoming bitter about it. That doesn't make it any less disgusting when you see amoral behavior, but it does help come to grips with it and be less angry about it.
But again, maybe that's just me. I'd choose knowledge over ignorance, anyway. And you know, now that you mention it, I do have a bridge in Brooklyn that I can let go of if anyone is interested.
Thanks for stopping by! I was hoping more eyes would get on this post by now. That saying about ignorance being bliss really fits here I think. There's a lot to be said for not letting the worries of the world drag you down. It's possible there is a fine line between being ignorant and just accepting that you can't control everything. I think I would prefer knowledge as well, but sometimes those other folks just seem so happy. It's hard not to consider it!
Choosing to be aware (some would call it smart) is sometimes torturous but I'd still prefer this to being ignorant. For most people without real cognitive limitations I think it's a matter of choice, what they prioritize in their lives. We can choose to educate ourselves, be curious ,and engaged in the world or just put ourselves on "mental autopilot", exist in a homogenous bubble/routine, and entertain ourselves until our time is done.
Choosing awareness can be really painful sometimes but it's also euphoric and so deeply rewarding. I think the most painful thing as I get older is to watch people make big mistakes and bad decisions in their lives. I'm a firm believer that sometimes the people who are unwilling to change and learn are there to teach us "how not to live."
I don't think I would change anything either, but I do lament a little bit about the person I used to be and how I can never go back to that knowing and experiencing what I have now. Mental autopilot is a good way to put it and on some level who are we to judge right? It is hard watching people make mistakes. Sometimes there are so many it's hard to pick out the lesson!
It's almost as though being aware gives your life experience more bandwidth. Those who are sleepwalking through life experience a much smaller sliver of life. I agree with you, we can't really judge anyone. The choices are theirs but if I focus too much on people's mistakes sadness can easily overtake me. I guess everything depends on what we chose to focus on. Choosing to be aware can also make you feel lonely at times too.
It definitely gives you more noise to sift through. I guess it's one of those things where it's hard work picking out the gems in the midst of all those life experiences. Totally worth the hard work though.
I agree. Pressure makes diamonds. I think some of the friction we encounter in choosing the high road polishes us in the long run.
That’s a classic story especially by me. I’d rather be smarter and live how I do.
I think if we come off social media , you are aware of alot less going on in the world and its a good thing. Also I will add the question, are more intelligent people more miserable than not so clever people. I remember talking to an intelligent guy who wished he was thick because he had the weight of the world on his shoulders and other people breezed through life without a care in the world. I will be on that bridge in October as its my 10th anniversary and we booked the trip to NY. Staying in Greenwich. Looking forward to it.
I was wondering that too while I was writing the post. Sometimes knowing more and being aware of the corruption can really weigh on you. Even being cynical carries a lot of weight. Knowledge opens your eyes and sometimes we might just be happier with them shut! I hope you have a blast on your trip!
Funny that I am reading your post today. That you are from my old stomping grounds at that. I'm thinking a lot today about how much I love little. I lie all the time and say that I don't like humans.. Because maybe I wish that I could simply not love humans.. Bit be first inclined to trust people...i abhor having to stand up for myself as if I am the one being cruel when I make somebody else face their own cruelty and/or dishonesty. This is all a spiritual mini-crisis because a taxi driver tried to screw me.. well..and then an airline successfully did because there is nothing I can do about it basically... The airline isn't a person.. The employees are probably ashamed but they are stuck in it too... And I am passing through a country that is in economic runs and where also people look at me and assume that I must be rich... Which I am very not. Bueno..besos a ti. I like your writing.
Thank you, I appreciate it! You know what they say, it's not what happens to you, but how you choose to react to it right? I'm actually not from New York, I have just visited there a couple times. I wouldn't be able to handle the big city 24/7.