Is Ignorance Really Bliss?

There is a common and well known phrase; "ignorence is bliss." What it means is that, often, one is happier when they do not know certain things. This is the case because if you don't know about something, then it cannot bring worry to you. A life without worry would be perfect, utopian.

An example of such a utopia born of ignorance is found in the community known as the Shire in JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The inhabitants of this place, hobbits, know little of the outside world. They are unburdened by the troubles of the other races in their fictional world. Whilst there are wars and evil rings of power in the world, the hobbits do not know of them. They do not worry about the troubles of elves, men, and dwarves. They live off their land and keep mostly to themselves. They are a gay, and merry people who are happy in their ignorance with few worries and even fewer of any significance. Left to themselves, and without influence from the outside world, they would go on thusly.

Holes eventually present themselves in the fabric of their utopia, as is inevitable. The first comes before the previoulsy mentioned books in their prequel, The Hobbit. One of these happy people, Bilbo Baggins, becomes restless and embarks on a quest with a group of dwarves. On this quest he aquires one of the rings of power and brings it back with him to the Shire. Long afterwards, trouble follows it. Evil forces present themselves and hobbits are drawn into the conflicts of the other races. Eventually, the hobbits are enslaved and their their countryside scarred by industialization, although they are later freed.

This is an example in which the idea of a utopia based upon ignorance of outside troubles is clearly shown to be impossible. While it might seem good for a while, it will inevitably fail, as will other attempts at creating a utopia.

In one of the pictures above, two hobbits are shown leaving their happy home and all that they know behind as they are drawn into the conflicts of other that were previously unknown to them. In the other, an evil being is looking upon the shire, as it could not go on forever being unknown to all entities of darkness.