ignorance

The dictionary definition of "ignorance" is: the condition or quality of being ignorant; lack of knowledge, education, etc., unawareness.  This definition of "ignorance" gives us little clarity as to the quality of ignorance and an explanation of the psychology behind ignorance   However, we might be completely satisfied, that because the definition came from the authority of Webster, it must be true.  If we stand, stead fast on that interpretation,  I think, we would have exposed, ironically, a clearer and existential definition of ignorance.  By excepting Webster's authority for the meaning of ignorance, without any further examination, we are showing our ignorance, and creating that ignorance into a belief with faith as an attachment.  There is error in this make shaft logic.  Error now intermingles with truth, and Webster's authority turns belief into bias, and faith into blind faith.

 "Ignorance," says Katherine Tingley, a theosophist, paraphrasing, is that false, pernicious fear of forces or powers, that push against our good conscious.  She continues, "Again and always it is ignorance, lack of moral knowledge, that opens the door to peril."

If we want to dispel ignorance we must find a way to expose it. and the path for exposer is to begin to become seekers of truth.  In order to expose the truth we must do a deep excavation; digging out authorities' opinions, public opinions, expert opinions, common clichés that have over time, come to be used as truth, and all the remaining bullshit.  As we continue to excavate all the sludge, we hit bedrock, and from here we can now unobstructed, begin to mine for truth.  Finding truth needs a practice, and a cogent practice would be to resurrect the idea and practice of "virtue." 

"Virtue," when was the last time you heard that word?  Perhaps it was in Catechism Class or Sunday
School, some 40 or 50 years ago. These days no one speaks or cares to know virtue.  Most of us expend our physical, mental energy around ideas of material gain or sensual pleasure or entertainment. Who in their 21th. century right mind, would be caught wasting their time becoming vitreous?  Although virtue in our society is not generally practiced, it is not altogether dead.  If we pay close attention to the daily news we would find acts of courage, where a stranger risks his life to save the life of an accident victim.  We would find, wisdom from a 15 year old boy who's death by disease is eminent, but he transcends his misfortune into a deep understanding of life and death.  We would find humility from an athlete who credits her success to her god, her parents, family and friends.  Virtue, then is not dead, but for the majority of us there is little interest in practicing it.

After we distill the aroma of virtue and begin to take it in, we  will have begin to set a solid foundation for the mining of truth,  The practice of virtue will have expanded our awareness to the point of digging out intent and falseness of the words being used.  We will begin to sift out the inner  meaning of the spoken words, thus exposing the truth. With this combined practice of virtue and deeper consciousness, we will build a strong and lasting foundation for knowing he truth.    .