Living in ignorant bliss in old-time Phoenix


If you're familiar with the expression "ignorance is bliss", it may still confuse you. And in my experience you have to be very, very, ignorant to hit the blissful stage. A little knowledge can be very dangerous, and frightening.

It's March 22, 2020, and I'm watching the world around me as it responds to the coronavirus pandemic. And like most people today I find myself with a lot of time on my hands, and of course I'm thinking about old-time Phoenix, and what people thought back in the day.

Speaking for myself, I lived through two times in my life with the blissfulness of ignorance, once when I was a toddler, and again a few years ago after my stroke. Sadly, my bliss faded away with a little knowledge, and I moved into the fearful stage. And for a lot of people, that's where they are, but that's not what I'm thinking about today - I'm thinking how wonderfully happy people are who really don't have a clue - like when I was four years old, and also seventeen years ago for me.

Let's time-travel to old-time Phoenix and be blissfully ignorant. This is gonna take a big stretch of imagination, because we aren't going to be superstitious, or anything. I suppose we could either be four years old, or the village idiot. I was the village idiot for several years after my brain was damaged, and I gotta tell ya, it was the happiest time of my life. Yes, I got better - I'm writing this now, you know! And I'm not nearly as happy!

And no, I'm not calling George Luhrs up there the village idiot, far from it, but his son on the tricycle (not sure if that's Arthur or George Jr.) would have been wonderfully happy. I don't remember much from that age (although I do remember riding my tricycle) but I can't imagine that much worried me. I suppose I would have gleefully eaten dirt, and if you mentioned germs to me, I would just smile and wonder what you were talking about. I may have just enjoyed hearing the sound of your voice.

Blissful ignorance is not worrying about where your next meal is coming from, or where you're going to sleep that night. It sure isn't being concerned about who is going to win the Big Game, or how much you'll have to pay in taxes. As someone who has recovered from brain damage, I can now call it "existentialism", and whenever possible I try to go back to that feeling.

If you're worrying too much, I recommend riding your tricycle around Phoenix!
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