As they would say, ignorance is not an excuse before the law. Many people have gone through a lot because they were ignorant of some things. Some have ended up in jail because they were ignorant of what they were doing which landed them behind bars. It was once said that if you want to hide any piece of information from a black person, put it or document in a book. This is true because many people don’t read, even people who surf the internet. Ironically, you can get whatever information you want on the internet but people are still ignorant. This is true because some people surf the net for fun and to make friends. No wonder it is said that the social media does not cause ignorance. However, it is very effective at documenting it.
Ignorance is a state of being uninformed, unaware (lack of knowledge, learning, information, etc.). Ignorance can stifle learning, especially if the ignorant person believes that they are not ignorant. A person who falsely believes he or she is knowledgeable will not seek out clarification of his or her beliefs, but rather rely on his or her ignorant position. He or she may also reject valid but contrary information, neither realizing its importance nor understanding it. This concept is elucidated in Justin Kruger's and David Dunning's work, "Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments," otherwise known as the Dunning-Kruger effect.
I had an experience some time ago and it taught me a lesson. I was feeling some discomfort in my tummy and belching. So, I had to go to a Doctor in the hospital my family uses. The Doctor told me that she would not give me any drugs but I should go and get some fruits. I still felt I needed some drugs but she insisted that the fruits will be able to make me digest whatever is causing the discomfort and constipation. On my way home, I bought some fruits and took them when I got home. When I woke up the following day, I realized that the discomfort and constipation had gone. I felt so relieved and I realized what ignorance had caused me the previous day. I could not do much the previous day because of the discomfort I had in my tummy. If I had known that fruits would have done the magic, I would not have gone through the experience I had and I would not have gone to the Doctor for drugs. This thought me a big lesson that I don’t need drugs for everything and that ignorance can cost one a lot.
There are various forms of ignorance but the worst kind of ignorance is not knowing who and what you are (knowing oneself), your rights and entitlements in life. This is the worst state any one can find himself. The devil is happy when someone is in this state. He will do everything to keep you from knowing who you are, your purpose in life, why you were born and so on. He wants to keep you ignorant because an ignorant person is a defected person. The best way you can know who you are is in God and through him.
Hosea 4:6 says, ‘ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children ( NKJV)’.
The above scripture says a lot about ignorance. People, families, companies, relationships and things get perished because of lack of knowledge. This is the state the devil wants everyone to be in. We must all pursue positive knowledge and reject ignorance. When you know who you are, people will not tell you who and what you are not. Many get afraid when they hear the word “the devil” because he has been depicted as evil and wickedness. However, what Christians and people should be afraid of is ignorance. We should be afraid of ignorance more than the devil.
Ignorance is one of the devices the devil uses to destroy, kill and steal from people. This is one of the things the bible says we should not be ignorant of. He also uses it to govern those who are ignorant of who they are. He loves to keep ignorant people ignorant because an ignorant person is always in the dark, though there is light around him.
Judges 6:11-15 “ The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
Gideon `was a mighty and a man of valour but he was ignorant of it until the angel told him. He allowed his background to limit him. For he said to the angel that his clan was the weakest in Manasseh and that his family was the weakest. Though he might have come from a weak and the least family, he was not a weak. The encounter he had with the angel changed and brought knowledge to him. It made him know who he was and he ended up leading the Isrealites as a result of the encounter.
We all can learn from this. It is only in God and his book to us (The Bible) we can get true knowledge about ourselves, families and purpose on earth. However, we can read other books, attend lectures, and ask questions to know more about ourselves and other things, our purpose in life and careers. Knowledge makes you stand out from the crowd but ignorant will deprive you of so many things even in your place of your expertise. Wilson Ileogben
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