Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Ignorance is Bliss

Today is Fool's Paradise Day! A "Fool's Paradise" is something that is oft used in literature (a word that I can't not pronounce in a fancy voice) to say that someone is basically blissfully unaware of how false the supposed perfection they are partaking in actually is. That only sounds complicated because I'm horrible at defining it with definitions. So instead, I'll try with theoretical situation!

Think of it like pyrite (Fool's Gold). It's not real gold, but if you don't have the geological know-how to discern that on your own, or if you don't go get it appraised by an expert, you may never know. And you can horde all that fake gold in your house or even build your house out of it. And it will be shiny and pretty and you'll be so happy thinking that your whole life is gold, sunshine, and puppies with day-long lollipops stuck to their heads because that's probably adorable. In this scenario, you would be a fool in a fool's paradise.

You can celebrate today by NOT being trapped in a Fool's Paradise. See, I would say go ahead and do it, but they are dangerous things. You might think "Oh, I'll just stay a day and be done with it.", but before you realize it you've been there for years! Trapped with the rest of the Lotus-Eaters! Your only hope is if someone too smart to be fooled comes by and drags you out of it so you can go home again!

But, I mean, hey... your choice right? I think I'll just spend today putting extra effort into not being put into a Fool's Paradise. I prefer the real kind.



Thanks for reading!
~Kyle