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Showing posts from October, 2023

On Blissful Ignorance

I’m sure that all of us have heard the phrase, “ignorance is bliss,” at least once, the idea that sometimes, we’re just better off not knowing. The phrase itself originated in the poem Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College written by Thomas Gray in 1742. The general sentiment goes even further back, even being mentioned in the Bible, with Ecclesiastes 1:18 stating the logical inverse: “ He who increases knowledge increases sorrow.” But is there merit to this idea? Are there times when we are simply better off not knowing?  Real image of me when I was ignorant to the fact we had this assignment. Life is often simpler the less information you know. Think back to your elementary school years; you’d mostly be worried about grades, friends, and your parents. Not much else had to be processed in those days. I’m quite sure that we miss those times every once in a while, but now we’re here, applying for college. At the start of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun , Klara is in a simil...

Boy Erased (Garrard Conley) Bento Box

Over the past few weeks I have been reading Boy Erased by Garrard Conley, a memoir about his experience as the son of a pastor, in a gay conversion program, as well as his family and friends. Having finished it recently, I can say that it is a very powerful story, and is a great insight to how damaging the Ex-gay movement was at the time (2004). It’s very moving, as a result of how vivid and visceral his descriptions are. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is even vaguely interested in this sort of thing. Moving on to the bento box! The Bible was an ever present part of Conley’s life, both physically and mentally, as he was well versed in it. Throughout the text, there are many time in which the Bible (or parts of it) is an important part of a scene. For example, early on in his life, he fails to lead a Bible study and is embarrassed. Later on, a fellow member of the program brags about memorizing all of the clobber verses (7 verses that are often pointed to support the claim t...