There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge. ~ Isaac Asimov
In 1995 Hollywood came out with the psychological crime thriller, Seven; starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, and Gwyneth Paltrow. I won’t go into the plot, but there is a scene in the film where Morgan Freeman tells Pitt: “I just don’t think I can continue to live in a place that embraces and nurtures apathy as if it was a virtue.
Don’t take this the wrong way, I’m not suicidal, but I can certainly relate to that sentiment; there are times I wish I could just disappear into the hills; as far away from humanity as humanly possible. Yet, whenever I feel like I’ve hit rock bottom I always seem to meet someone who shows me that there is still a glimmer of hope left for mankind; that not everyone has their head buried up their ass.
For instance, last Saturday, while the wife and I were out doing our weekly grocery shopping, we ran into a Filipina friend who used to be a cashier at WalMart. Since her job was to usher people through her line as quickly as possible, I’d never gotten the chance to really talk to her. This time, however, she was just a customer, and we ended up talking for nearly an hour and a half. Continue reading →