This is such a grand topic for me that I don’t believe I will be able to go into sufficient depth today, but I will try.
Ignorance is something that pains me. When someone is ignorant, I can usually deal with it. After all, what can one expect of the world? However, when someone tries to push their ignorance on me, not only by patronizing me, but by being so zealous in their beliefs as to not accept anything else, then it troubles me. Well, first it enrages me, but when that subsides, I am troubled.
I always ask myself, “How can you be so ignorant? How can you understand nothing, and yet be so firmly planted in your beliefs? How is it that otherwise, you’re a likable person?”.
Something that comes into play is my need to be humble. Humility is something that is very important to me. I believe in only stating my opinions when they’re asked of me. That’s probably because it’s very rarely that people accept my opinions, and usually I’ll see it as wasted time when I try to explain something, and someone will refuse to see it.
My titanium ring serves as a reminder. Whenever I feel the urge to speak out, I’ll subconsciously adjust it on my finger, and remember that speaking out is not a good thing. It’s a very simple ring, without any designs or patterns, except for a pale gold band in the middle. It cost me a current months salary, due to the difficulty in forging titanium in an oxygen free environment, but seems as simple as a modest band. A symbol in itself.
When someone just astonishes me with their stupidity, the need to speak can be very overwhelming. I find that I can control it now though, that my patience has increased. It would be great if people could understand me. There are only a few people who truly do. It would make my urge to speak subside. I believe this urge stems from a cognitive need to be understood.
Instead, I have to deal with ignorance, people not accepting anything past their experiences or past their own fallibility. It’s something that once cost me a stable relationship.
But it was worth it.