(Z)euters

ignorance is bliss… you don’t know what you’ll miss.

this is what you get when a bunch of bored colleagues sit down to munch for lunch–another pebble of useless wisdom.

we were referring to a recent corporate event where a member of the senior management, in all brevity, decided to code-name some lady deep throat when he was giving his official speech. deep throat did more than just cover-up the lady’s identity, that was for sure.

this was where a very pure soul at our table admitted that he didn’t know what deep throat till that day. skeptics at heart, we probed, only to find out that he truly had no clue. doesn’t even watch porn! definitely an innocent. *grin*

that’s where someone else commented, “ignorance is bliss… don’t worry.”  and giving it some quick thought, i threw the next words, “you don’t know what you’ll miss.”

to be fair, the previous phrase is used in the context that to be ignorant of the bad stuff is indeed a good thing. cos one can’t worry/fret about something if they don’t know about it at all. but what really happens is that not knowing means you don’t know whether if it’s good or bad in the first place. so for the more capable of dealing with “bad stuff”, and wanting to fully experience what life has to offer, then be as un-ignorant as possible, lest you miss something truly amazing in your life.

preface: this has been a long time coming. ever since i learnt to speak, utter nonsense that sometimes make peculiar sense (such a paradox already!) spill out even before i can exert control over it. oftentimes, when this happens, there’s a moment of stunned silence (i was going to put “awestruck silence” but that’ll be gross overstatement) as the significance (however trivial in nature) resonates with our inner being… this is sometimes followed by groans, moans and grimaces… but i grit my teeth and am delighted to present to you my pebbles of useless wisdom.

—– pebbles #1 —–

1. A purifying or figurative cleansing of the emotions, especially pity and fear, described by Aristotle as an effect of tragic drama on its audience.
2. A release of emotional tension, as after an overwhelming experience, that restores or refreshes the spirit.

while Aristotle may have needed to go to plays for his cathartic episodes, i believe we have enough tragic drama in our daily lives. one only needs to pay attention to your family, friends and acquaintances and chances are you’ll find that overwhelming experience without much trouble. but how then does the layman release emotional tension? the kind that restores or refreshes the spirit?

ladies and gentlemen, i propose a new term for the modern day catharsis:

bitching (n)

1. release of emotional tension through complaint or grumbling about the overwhelming drama in our everday lives, often ensued by the refresh or restoration of the spirit.

 —–pebbles #1—–