![Ignorance is defined as a lack of knowledge but some refuse to see the knowledge and remain ignorant. [Source: www.icr.org]](http://www.jstudentboard.com/reporter/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/12-13-bliss.jpg)
[Source: www.icr.org]
Just a couple weeks ago, there was an airstrike in Syria and it bombed the only children’s hospital in Aleppo. I happened to bring it up in a conversation with my friends, but only half of them knew about what I was talking about. I am not someone who constantly follows up with the current news, so it came as a big surprise that there were people who were less informed about current news than me.
Ignorance and the lack of keeping up with the news is detrimental, not blissful. Many would choose to live in oblivion and live out their own stress- and care-free lives. However, nobody benefits from that type of behavior and attitude. When people are informed and educated, change can happen and actions can be taken in response to current news. Many of the current news is filled with hatred and anger; there have been shootings during the wee hours of Black Friday shopping, discrimination based on race and ethnicity, the continuing protests of the Dakota Access Pipeline project, and more.
Based on the CNN polls, the voter turnout for the 2016 election came out to be a mere 55.4%, making it the lowest voter turnout in the past twenty years. The result of the election brought forth shock and denial to many citizens; if more citizens had voted the result may have differed.
Of the many Irvine Unified School District students I have surveyed, the majority stated that they rarely check up on the current news. Even when the high school students are updated about what is currently happening in the US and around the world, it is not by their own effort; the news happens to float into their social media stream or TV. Many students may think that they should not care because it does not apply to them but every voice, every opinion, every action matters.
We must continue to engage with the world that we live in and be educated in the happenings because at the end of the day, we are all living together on the same planet. Everyone must make it a habit to keep themselves updated with current news and topics and realize that ignorance is not bliss, that we must combat ignorance.
