Sunday, January 14, 2024
IGNORANCE AND EPIPHANY - AN ESSAY
Over the years, I have been an instructor in many different situations, although most specifically as an Army NCO, and a truck driving instructor. I have also had to train new employees at various jobs, one fairly technical (optician in an optical lab), and several other general, retail sales, customer service, food preparation and service, etc.
One of the more common attitudes that I encountered was, "I never realized this was so complicated..."
Or, "So THAT'S why you do that!" (And why YOU will do it THAT way, Padawan."
Of course as a truck driving instructor, another common attitude was, "Those people in the little cars are crazy, and I used to drive like that..."
Or, "They're going to get somebody killed..."
I guess the key point is "ignorance". Now, ignorance, unless intentional, is not a sin. It just means that, for some reason, you simply don't "know"... haven't been enlightened yet.
Maybe you haven't had a chance to learn, maybe there was no reason to learn, or opportunity, or, maybe, no one to teach you. No Obi-Wan Kenobi to your Luke Skywalker...
Okay, enough already with the Star Wars references.
And yet, up until the epiphany of enlightenment of my instruction, or whatever showed them "the light", they were certain they were "right"... even though "wrong".
Well, maybe not even "wrong", just the information perhaps did not apply to their life's needs, decisions, or purposes.
You usually don't know you're lacking something until you've had it and THEN lose it. So, if you didn't know the knowledge existed, or that it might do you some good to have it, why should you feel any lack in your life for not having it?
How do you know what you don't know?
I guess my point is, I've stepped into many situations in my 78 10/12 years, and still do from time to time, where I suddenly realize that I have just learned something that I've lived over three-quarters of a century without knowing... and suddenly something made sense, and I realized that something had been missing.
Epiphany.
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Copyright January 14, 2024 by Donovan Baldwin
Labels: donovan baldwin, epiphany, essay, ignorance, right and wrong
