Purposeful ignorance
This was supposed to be a Twitter thread, which is why I've retained the format in true purposefully ignorant fashion. In summary, I hope more of us get comfortable with saying "I don't know about X" or "I don't have strong opinions about Y" without feeling some shame. We can — and should — be curious. However, I find no joy in wanting to know everything enough to be opinionated.
The thing about reading — esp descriptive stuff — is that you’re forced to create a mental picture + fill in whatever existing gaps.
That mental picture almost never leaves your mind. And if it does, it’ll take some time.
It’s not the same as watching a movie — you’re limited to what’s on your screen, so you take it as it is.
I still remember “scenes” I created from reading The Worm Ouroboros 10+ years ago. And I still remember stuff from The Da Vinci Code.
If you have a mind that’s capable of creating scenarios on scenarios, building full-blown narratives and plots, this mental picture will likely stay forever.
And you’ll find yourself knowing + speaking of stuff as if you’ve studied them — all bc you read them in a book.
It’s like imprinting a tattoo on your body. Only now it’s mental.
This is why I think that choosing ignorance in some cases is the best thing if you want peace of mind.
Some of us have somehow built this notion that we all must be interested in everything that concerns life.
But there's always the option to choose. To be picky. It’s purposeful ignorance. And so long as you’re not making blind judgements or causing harm, then it’s fine.
If you’re in position to judge, then it becomes your duty to seek/understand related knowledge, regardless of your personal view.
For example, yesterday, someone said “…in this era of neoliberal late capitalistic naija…” and I was very very happy to be ignorant.
All of these systems & theories have almost never translated to real life in full — democracy is good, but look at us 🙃
For example:
It’s why I laugh at how much intelligence/open-mindedness is attached to these mainstream topics.
There’s always an issue with whatever is the order of the day — humans are the common denominator, so maybe we’re just the problem? 🤔
Being conscious of your content diet has never been more important.
I don’t want to know what’s happening with this and that celebrity. Or know the history of Nigeria's dirty oil deals.
Send me a poem instead.