When I was little, I used to hear the elders in my life say, “Ignorance is bliss.” It took me a long time to understand what that really meant. Once I understood the words, I realized it was basically saying that not knowing is somehow a happy place to be. But the older I’ve gotten, the less I agree with that idea. In fact, I’ve come to believe that ignorance can sometimes be downright dangerous. Let me explain. Growing up, my mother was deeply rooted in her faith.
She knew the Bible well, and there were plenty of teachings about what people should and shouldn’t do. Yet when it came to food, my mother was surprisingly rebellious. She wasn’t interested in limiting what we experienced. We ate all kinds of foods—shrimp, crab, pork, beef, squid, octopus, and whatever else found its way to our table. These weren’t everyday meals, but every so often something different would appear. Looking back, I’m grateful for that because my mother wasn’t allowing fear or rigid beliefs to dictate every choice she made. As I got older, life changed. I spent much of my youth in group homes, where the food was completely different from what I had grown up with. I was introduced to mainstream meals and foods I’d never even heard of before. By the time I reached my twenties and thirties, I started noticing that there were certain foods I could no longer tolerate as well. Then, after meeting my husband and making different lifestyle choices over the years, I found myself avoiding certain foods altogether because of beliefs, trends, or ideas I had adopted along the way. But eventually something interesting happened. I started revisiting some of the foods I remembered from childhood.
Not because someone told me to, but because I wanted to listen to my body instead of my assumptions. And to my surprise, my body responded incredibly well. It was as if it remembered something that my mind had forgotten. People talk about muscle memory all the time. Perhaps our bodies have a memory for nourishment too. Perhaps they remember what once helped them thrive. The more I paid attention, the more I realized that some of the foods I had dismissed for years were actually helping me feel stronger, healthier, and more balanced. That experience taught me something important about ignorance. Sometimes the things we think we know can become walls that keep us from discovering what actually works for us. We inherit beliefs from religion, culture, family, trends, and society, and many of those beliefs serve a purpose. But sometimes they can also prevent us from exploring possibilities that might help us heal. I’m not suggesting anyone abandon their faith or values. What I am suggesting is that we remain curious.
The earth existed long before our labels, rules, and opinions about it. The foods, plants, and natural resources available to us have always been here. Perhaps part of our journey is learning how to reconnect with what our bodies need instead of blindly following what we’ve been told. Maybe healing begins when we become willing to explore rather than assume. The human body is constantly communicating through energy levels, cravings, digestion, inflammation, and countless other signals. The question is whether we’re listening.
Too many people wait until they are sick before they start asking questions about their health. What if we became students of our own bodies before reaching that point? What if we learned to pay attention now? What if we allowed curiosity to replace fear? For me, that’s the real lesson. I don’t want to live in ignorance simply because it feels comfortable. I’d rather learn. I’d rather explore. I’d rather listen. Because sometimes healing doesn’t come from knowing more—it comes from becoming open enough to question what we think we already know. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that ignorance may feel like bliss for a little while, but awareness is what ultimately helps us heal.
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