Curiosity is a precondition for attaining wisdom

"I directed my mind to know, to investigate and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of folly and the foolishness of madness." Ecclesiastes 7:25

Wisdom and knowledge seem to have become the rejected cornerstones of civilization in today's world of sound-bite discourse which seeks only to assign blame and evil motives to "'the other/enemy" for causing one unpredictable and unsolvable "crisis" after another. I have observed that many of the people who claim to so ardently support "world peace" or "the environment" or any other such grandiose ideal, actually know very little about their cherished subject. When pressed about what exactly should be done about the subject they respond with a vague course of action but without any comprehension of any complexities or awareness of counter or alternative arguments. Mostly, they just want to talk about how someone or some group is evil and responsible for the mess. But, once again, when pressed they cannot point to anything with specificity. And most certainly there is never the attempt to demonstrate causality.

For example, today, I watched a debate on foreign policy and economics, and both sides talked grandiosely, but only one side acknowledged that our country's interests were not the only ones in the world. Only one side seemed to realize that other countries have their own motivations and goals and that those might be in direct conflict with ours. Neither was willing to admit that they could not deliver everything promised. Both sought to assign blame. Only one came close to admitting responsibility. It was a depressing excuse for a "debate". But more depressing was the so called analysis where the talking heads distilled the sound bites as to tell everyone whose sound bite was the most "memorable" and thus who "won". Nothing about the issues, nothing about anything of substance or detail.

I have talked to people who were for "world peace" but had only the vaguest of ideas what was going on in the world outside their borders. They usually have heard of the "war du jour" that the media is currently hyping, but when pressed are profoundly ignorant beyond the partisan "talking points". They admire certain world leaders but know absolutely nothing about any policies said leaders are enacting in their country. They admire certain philosophers without ever really thinking about where the advocated philosophy would logically lead if followed.

None of this disturbs me as much as the current trend of people who profess strong emotional opinions about certain issues while exhibiting a complete lack of curiosity about those same issues. They do not search out information about the topic. They do not consult with anyone or read anything that offers a counter opinion. They do not care if the "facts" bandied about are actually true.

This willful ignorance could be tolerated if it were not so often coupled with a complete contempt, even irrational hatred, of anyone professing a contrary opinion.

But it makes sense, after all, if you suspect your cherished and emotionally satisfying opinion is wrong, you will tend to discount the evidence against it. After a while you won't be discounting the evidence, you will simply not see it. Soon, there is no reason to suspect your cherished opinion might be wrong, because you haven't seen or heard anything to the contrary. And besides, everyone you know agrees that anyone saying otherwise is a malicious liar. Hence, there is no place for curiosity because you have certainty.

Its a dangerous place to be. Remember "when they say 'peace and safety' then will the end come upon them" (I thess 5) People instinctively know their peace of mind is precarious so they seek to preserve it by forcefully silencing any voice that might cause a crack in their dam of righteousness. Because once the truth penetrates, then indeed it is a disaster for a mind that has closed itself off from inquiry, from self-examination, from awareness of sin.

When we finally stop wondering "why"? When we begin to think we know and understand it all, when we begin to leap first to evil intentions for explaining the motivations of those we disagree with... then suddenly ignorance clouds our minds and we become thoughtless. We are no longer self-aware and so do not even realize the magnitude of what we have lost. Lord, preserve me from self-blindness and willful ignorance. Grant me always an awareness of my sins, a contrite heart, and the grace to continually move closer to you and further from myself.

Ultimately, peace at any level is a matter of a correctly ordered relationship to God. We cannot achieve peace by silencing others, or coercing them. We can act to protect the innocent, of course, and seek to enact and uphold just laws that protect human dignity from conception to natural death. But beyond that we must always pray. Pray for those who do not yet see Truth, for those who turn a blind eye, for those who plug their ears and harden their hearts. And we need to remember that God is at the heart of every truth.