Notes

Dear Future Sarah,

If you are reading this, you probably need advice. I've just recently learnt about the power of knowledge, in Junior English class. We have been reading several short stories and even watched a movie to answer the question: Is knowing more better? I've learnt that knowledge can either ruin your life or enlighten it. Here is my personal opinion.

Our society today is filled with conflict and violence. Every day, we see another shooting, another terrorist act, or another racist act or judgment. This makes me wonder whether or not knowing more is better. Every day, such news would fill my head and make me wonder why would I want to know that I lived in such a beautiful and corrupt world? Throughout this unit, I was challenged daily and struggled to answer whether or not knowing more is better. I started off believing that knowing more was better because it opens more doors to different opportunities I may not have considered before and to at the very least live a life not based on a lie or false reality. At the same time, I also believed that knowing more could also really hurt, which prevents me from fully believing that knowing more is better. After this unit, I have come to the conclusion that although knowledge may be painful at first, it only leads to a more meaningful life due to a broader, more informed, and open-minded take on life.

Reading the Allegory of the Cave by Plato really helped me put the pain of knowledge in perspective, which helped me understand this concept in a different light. In this story, the prisoner was kept in the dark bound by shackles, which symbolized ignorance and illusion. When he escaped and finally walked out of the darkness of the cave into the light, which symbolized knowledge, the light was at first blinding, but his eyes eventually adjusted as he accepted the light. This new light and reality represented the truth and a whole different level of knowledge. Following the acceptance of this knowledge, the prisoner went out to help others come to the same realization and seek for more knowledge. In doing so, this knowledge has opened up opportunities he would never have had if he didn't have the knowledge. The fact that even with this newfound knowledge, continued to seek for more, and help others come to the same realization, shows that even though the realization was at first painful, knowing more and knowing the truth is better.

The importance of knowledge was also shown in the Truman Show when he almost died for the knowledge he was seeking. Throughout his life, Truman had lived on the set of a 24-hour reality TV show as the star without knowing it. As he grew older, he started to realize that things were not as they seemed to be, and needed to know what was going on, and even almost drowned to know. The knowledge that he was living in a false reality helped Truman make an informed decision to seek for a different, more opportunistic life that will hopefully be more meaningful for him. This shows that when one is ignorant of the situation they are surrounded by, they would rather not live a lie, and instead, would want to seek for more knowledge even if the truth it hurts.

Similarly, Oedipus from Oedipus the King by Sophocles also saw the importance of knowledge. He initially sought to solve the death of King Laius to banish Kind Laius' killer and rid the city of the plague, but through this, he discovered that the prophecy was fulfilled and that he had killed his father and marry his mother. Because the truth was thrown upon him suddenly, Oedipus had to suddenly accept the very painful, unimaginable, truth. To him, the truth hurt, but he accepted it and banished himself from the city because this knowledge helped him make more informed decisions to lead a more meaningful life for both himself and the city.

In Cathedral, Bub, the narrator, started off an ignorant man. He didn't know better than to stereotype others and pity them. Without truly meaning to, Robert, the blind man, helps him slowly gain some knowledge and eventually help Bub step into the shoes of a blind man. While the story ends there, it can be implied that Bub's newfound knowledge and ability to step into the shoes of someone else helps him in his relationships with other people such as his wife. The truth would have hurt him at first, as he will realize that his ignorance has prevented him from taking many opportunities and may have cost him his wife, but knowing this will him in the future. He will likely be more careful and try to be more open-minded and informed so that he can take a broader perspective on life and lead a life more meaningful than the one he lead as an ignorant man.

Finally, the short story The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas also helped me realize the importance of knowledge and its effect on decision making. This short story describes a utopian city characterized by its external joyousness and beautify. This, however, is just the shallow, above-ground, picture of life in Omelas. Beneath the city, if you look deeper, is darkness, where a child suffers so that the rest of the population can be happy. When people realize, they feel guilt, but most likely overcome it. There are, however, some who cannot reconcile the child's existence and leave. Knowing the truth definitely hurts. These people hope to live a more meaningful life outside of Omelas. One that does not exist happily based on the suffering and expense of a child. Maybe others hope to live a more meaningful life outside of Omelas by seeking for new opportunities and gain a new perspective to come back and save both the child and the city. Either way, through knowing, the city is better of. People can make informed decisions on whether or not they agree with the child's suffering, and if they don't, they walk away from it and may even come back with a solution, which will ultimately benefit not only them, but everyone else as well.

In our world, we go to school to break free from the shackles of illusion the prisoner in the Allegory of the Cave was chained to. We study history to learn the truth and to make sure not to repeat mistakes of the past. We use the things we learn in school to gain more opportunities in the working world to succeed. It is with knowledge from school that we are able to do what we do today to make informed and open-minded decisions on how to live a meaningful life.

After every single service trip I have been on, I have always come back enlightened. I go there thinking I am prepared with what insight I have on their culture and standards of living, but when I am there, I am constantly shocked. So much is then unveiled to me. This knowledge hurts me at first because I am so privileged and they are not. It makes me wonder what have I done to ever deserve more than they have? With the truth about the world's problems hurt, I have come to accept them and hope that with what knowledge I gain from my own life, I will be able to use it to help others. Knowing this and experiencing it has given me a new insightful outlook on both life and helping others.

The world we live in is both beautiful and tragic. We need not hide from this knowledge, but to accept and acknowledge it the way it is. Although avoiding the truth may be easier because it is unpleasant and painful, it is necessary. Avoiding the truth doesn't lead to happiness. Ignorance only leads to more mistakes and therefore more unhappiness. With knowledge, we are able to live a more meaningful life, whatever that means to each one of us. To me, it is to broaden my perspective so that I can make informed decisions on the many opportunities that will have been presented to me. With that, I can make the most of my life and maybe even solve some of the problems in our world. Without acknowledging problems and understanding them, we cannot fix it, which will hurt more in the upcoming future. We must seek to understand and know the truth about the world around us to solve its issues without any implications. Knowledge is truly a powerful tool that must be embraced for a life with more meaning.

Good luck in whatever it is you needed advice on and hopefully this helped. Remember, don't hesitate to step into the light of knowledge because of the pain you fear. Embrace it.

Sincerely Yours,
Sarah