Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.
–Dalai Lama
A Frictionless reader recently requested I write something on this subject so here it is. I hope they find it useful and I hope you do as well.
We all encounter situations and people in our lives that have the potential to rankle us a little. From our view of the world some external ignorance may be to blame.
This can leave us feeling irritated, unsettled, upset or annoyed. Far from ideal.
If you struggle with how to best deal with these situations then here are 4 options you might consider in future.
1) Ignore the Ignorance
Sounds counter-intuitive or perhaps a little Zen but it’s also effective if we perfect it.
Learning to ignore ignorance and ignorant people means we are left less effected by the potential to poison. In this case, ignorance truly can mean bliss for us.
2) Avoid It
If we know a certain place/situation/person/people are likely to leave us feeling we are dealing with a level of ignorance we would rather not then we can do our best to avoid it/them.
Simple, yes. Effective, also yes.
3) Don’t Fester On It
We’re all human at the end of the day. The opinions of others may impact on us more than we would like. Situations may upset us more than we want them to. We are not emotionless robots. We’re living and breathing and we care about stuff.
Having a reaction to something is not necessarily a bad thing. Festering on the negative however is. Move on instead.
4) Rise Above It
We can do this by not even letting ignorance flicker on our radars. We’re better than this (use the Dalai Lama quote above as fuel).
Optional Extra Step
5) Try to Understand the Other Side of the Coin
This is optional as sometimes it’s a clear-cut case for options 1 to 4. However, things can also be a little greyer at times. In these cases reflect on where the perceived ignorance is coming from. Perhaps it’s from a good place and we’re just guilty of reading it wrong.
Ignorance is something we all come into contact with. How we deal with it along the way can have a definite impact on our own general feelings of wellbeing. So when ignorance next rears its head make sure it doesn’t take the wind from your sails.
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