The popular myth that “the smarter you are the sadder you become” is wrong, or at least it is misleading. It is true that the more we know the more we realize how bad the world really is.
I mean, just look around:
- COVID
- War
- Inflation
- Shootings
- Natural disasters
- Ever growing obesity epidemic
- The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer
- Etc.
And this is just today’s news. I mean, do you even remember yesterday’s problems? And what about tomorrow? I’m sure something completely new will come out, which will shock and repulse us on a completely new level.
Facing this reality, it seems that it is better to be ignorant, as “ignorance is bliss,” as another popular saying goes.
In this way, the more we look at the world, the more we find, and the more depressed we become. This is logical and on this the premise on which the “the smarter you are the sadder you become” statement is built.
“Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know” – Ernest Hemingway
“The more you know, the sadder you get” – Stephen Colbert
“Sadness is caused by intelligence, the more you understand certain things, the more you wish you didn’t understand them” – Charles Bukowski
“Ignorance is bliss” – Thomas Gray
However, what this saying fails to address is what we can do to address all these problems. I mean, we can’t solve all human problems overnight and we aren’t trying to. Even in a utopian society, there will be problems (which is another reason we can be depressed), but here is the bright side.
We can be happy regardless of what is happening in the world. We can be happy regardless of who we are, when, or where we are from, which is the slogan of this blog. And this is the only sustainable way to be happy. It even addresses many problems that exist in society today.
For one, happy people behave in a more ethical, sustainable, and altruistic fashion. They are no longer part of the problem and become part of the solution. This says that one person can make a difference and we need more people to exit the cycle of pain that exists in a society today (are you ready to do so?)
As such, we can become smarter and happier, not because we become ignorant of the many problems in the world, but because we learn how to deal with them in a complete and sustainable fashion.
Moreover, ignorance does not completely shield us from unhappiness, if anything it shields us from potential solutions to the problem of unhappiness. I’d even say that it’s better to be a starter as at least it gives us a fighting chance at finding a solution to sadness.
Indeed, my whole coaching surrounds this topic, which is why I tell you with confidence that you can become smarter and happier at the same time. You just need access to the right information, which is available in abundance at Optimal Happiness.
