To Know or Not Know

I've looked at quite a few subjects lately, both on personal and societal scales, and found myself wondering just when is ingorance bliss and when is it, well, ignorant?
Choosing to take the red or blue capsule a la The Matrix is a choice we have with any subject, really, if we choose. But what if your life seems happier not knowing the full truth? Is it really happier or are you just living a lie?

For example, I love a good burger, steak, grilled chicken breast or a honey-glazed ham, but do I really want to see what goes on at slaughter houses? I mean, I have seen some pictures and have a pretty good idea, but is it necessary to get all the gory details, and if I did, would I still eat meat? Hell, I rarely go fishing because I hate putting the bait on the hook and then hate having to rip the hook out of the fish after they're caught, but I still love seafood.

What about our nation's obsession with prescription drugs - would people be better off knowing that the drug they've been convinced to take by some clueless doctor, slick salesperson or brilliant marketing scheme is doing less for them then what simple nutritional supplements would do? What about if the drug is actually making them worse? Beyond that, do they really want to know that many of the drug companies know their drugs are causing harm and set aside hundreds of millions to settle lawsuits so that they can still pocket billions of dollars over time, regardless of the human cost in terms of patient side effects including sending droves of people to seek drug rehabilitation help, or even death?

And how about your religion? What if yours really wasn't the only true way to the afterlife, however you believe it to be? What if what your religious texts promise you were nothing but contrived scenes to control masses, or offer uplifting hope for them? I don't think it's bad to believe in something if it's meant to help you live your life better and treat others well, but it would be nice to have a way of knowing the absolute truth about the texts and history without having to simply trust the authority who is handing it down to you, assuming it is unaltered.

In sports, do performance enhancing drug scandals make you question your favorite players? Would it matter to you if most of the athletes were using, or if the leagues changed rules to allow them? Would you stop watching games and competitions if news broke that a large percentage of the players were cheating?

Regarding your kids, would you want to know the details about their sex lives and whether or not they used drugs or engaged in some other type of harmful or illegal activities even if they were always home on time, kept a job, never got in trouble and excelled in their studies?

Finding the man behind the curtain like The Wizard of Oz can take the wind out of our sails, but in many more situations it can also remove the fear or mystery surrounding the situation.

I believe that the full truth should be made available for all to know, if they choose to know, but they have to be willing to accept and deal with the truth if it is shockingly different from what they thought previously.

There may be a time and a place for everything, and the level of details can vary. I don't think kids have to be traumatized with images of slaughter houses before they decide to have a chicken nugget. It's not entirely necessary for me to know the detailed history of the secretive Federal Reserve before I spend my money. However, children should understand how animals become food, people should understand the realities of our nation's financial strucutre and we all should get the truth about what we put into our body, about our governments and our religions.