The Ignorant Bliss Paradox
Fear is an emotion every single individual has experienced. Humans feel fear whether
it would be simple or deep. It could be in the form of physical objects or actual
people. It could be in intangible forms such as failure, abandonment, worry,
self-consciousness, and such. These intangible fears are more difficult to deal with as
they may hold you back from confiding in others.
In the story, we can apply the fear of accepting the truth and whether staying ignorant
is the best choice or not. The story goes: you and your group of friends, who love to
party nearly every night, decided to play a game of dare where the longest to stand on
the edge of the roof wins a prize. You volunteered to do it first and got knocked back
by the wind but fortunately managed to grab the edge before you could fall off. You
ask for help but to your surprise, they decline in fear of you pulling them over the side
of the roof. You eventually fall but luckily survived.
Let’s look back to the reason why this happened. Partying. It isn’t a sin. It could be a
stress-reliever to some people. It could be some kind of reward to others, a way to
relax from a hectic schedule. Even if one goes out to party simply because it’s fun, it
isn’t wrong. We make our own choices so we need to keep in mind to hold
responsibility over ourselves. We should know when enough is enough.
Everyone needs to set a limit because what you’re doing may drain you or it could
lead to the development of a toxic trait. This wasn’t practiced by the characters in the
story. Saying that you’re happy whenever you’re around your friends as a reason for
the nightly parties does little to justify it. There are plenty of ways you can spend time
with your friends without endangering yourselves.
Going out the whole night and going back home in the morning happened way too
often that your parents have spoken up, as they should. Their concern was warranted.
This was the time to act maturely and listen to them. It doesn’t matter that you’re an
adult and can make your own decisions anymore. It’s about the fact that what you’re
doing isn’t safe and healthy. You’re only opening yourself up to risks that can hurt
you and/or the people around you.
When you chose to turn a blind eye to the issue, it was only a matter of time that
something bad happens and it happened during a windy night on the club rooftop. You
slipped and fell without your friends’ help despite you asking for it and this
near-death experience made you question your friendship.
Would it be better if you just stayed ignorant of the fact that your friends will not help
you in the time of need?
This was your dilemma after the event. You may think that their reason was
justifiable, they were afraid that you’ll drag them with you, however you’re a group.
There was more than one pair of hands to help you up. They were intoxicated, yes,
but even when seeing a person in danger, especially when there were no big factors
that would prevent them from offering a hand, they could still move and help you up
yet they denied you.
This event can serve as an eye-opener. You reflect on your actions and the people you
associate yourself with. All of you hold fault for the event for not being responsible
enough to know when to stop and how this could harm you. That was a mistake that
should be acknowledged.
You may argue that you have the rights and freedom to make your own decisions but
you may have also forgotten that it comes with responsibility. It isn’t the time to be
stubborn and defensive. It’s contradictory to have such a dilemma when this happened
because of your own choices. It’s not about choosing ignorant bliss, pretending like
there isn’t a crack in your friendship. Acknowledge what happened and let it be a
lesson.