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Can you think of other examples in which ignorance caused by a lack of curiosity has caused suffering to others?
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Incurious
“What bothered Shelley most was how little curiosity the staff members seemed to have about what Lou cared about in his life and what he had been forced to forfeit. They didn’t even recognize their ignorance in this regard. . . Their attitude seemed to result from incomprehension rather than cruelty, but, as Tolstoy would have said, what’s the difference in the end? (104-105)”
Can you think of other examples in which ignorance caused by a lack of curiosity has caused suffering to others?
Can you think of other examples in which ignorance caused by a lack of curiosity has caused suffering to others?
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I believe that as a devote Christian I see religious beliefs of others are strongly criticized and harshly ridiculed. Because of our lack of understanding and curiosity we form judgments on the religious minorities. This has caused many to feel threatened and religious/ faith-based wars are an outcome of this. Buddhism, Islam, and many other religions hold a historical and foundational aspect of today's world. As also a Bible believer I don't see eye to eye with religions, but we all have a free-will and therefore why not use it? In the US it is our constitutional right to believe in whatever we want to. Therefore because of these problems I see "too" much conflict arising that could be dealt with if we chose to live with each other in peace. I do try to be an example for what I believe in, but I would never intentionally rebuke or degrade someone because of their personal faith.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your standpoint on this subject! The Bible says "Judge not, that ye be not judged." Matthew 7:1 KJV However too often, Christians (myself included) forget that principle! Coming from a school that had quite a few people of the Mormon faith, I always had to remind myself that their beliefs were just as important to them as mine were to me. I even had the chance to share what I believe with one of them and vice-versa. It was a real eye opener. Just because we believe differently we should all still be able to appreciate the religious beliefs of others.
DeleteAn example where ignorance has caused others to suffer could be found in any elementary school. When I was in fifth grade the teacher deemed my best friend a 'problem child' because he refused to participate in class, and because he was always talking to others and looking at their papers. The teacher would reprimand my friend, but never asked what was the cause of his behaviors. The teacher thought my friend was causing trouble but he was actually asking what the teacher had written on the blackboard because he couldn't read it. He refused to participate in class because most of the time, his eyesight wasn't good enough to see what was on the board. Could a student's success or failure be as simple as asking what the problem was? Young children are often left under the influence of able adults, but at times the task of getting a job done efficiently clouds a person's ability to truly see what is happening right in front of them.
ReplyDeleteEssentially any conflict involving religion would be a viable example to use in response to this question. I was raised to be a disciple of Christ. It wasn't until just a few years ago that I became curious about the beliefs of other religions, but once I had done some research I found that the gist of most world religions were the same: be decent to your fellow human beings and love whatever aspect of God you worship. This came as a revelation to me. That meant that basically every "holy war" or crusade were essentially squabbles over doctrinal differences. What difference does doctrine make if the general idea of religions in general are the same?
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