Ignorance is Bliss?

It is said that “ignorance is bliss”, to which I can attest. From a person who, since aged 9, used to religiously devour the daily newspaper from front to back, I’ve become a selective reader of the arts, epicure, travel and occasionally the financial sections only. Being confronted daily by reports of grim events over which I have no control is emotionally demanding. And then there’ s the question of where the truth lies. As a firm believer in the multiplicative effect of the power of one, I feel that I’m shirking my civic responsibilities by adopting the ostrich principle when it comes to the news and current affairs, but I feel much happier and more content for it.


However, ignorance has definitely not resulted in a state of bliss when I overlooked the faint tick, ticking of my constant companion, M. Laptop. Unfortunately he ceased to function – permanently – last week; hard drive full and body parts, worn out from overwork. I first noticed his malaise when he was slow to boot up, but it was too late.  Tick…… tick…… gone.

Currently there appears to be some parallels between my life and that of my laptop. My hard-drive is jam-packed – full of facts, useless information, names and faces. I’m certain that its functional storage capacity has been trimmed over the years by intermittent bursts of cortisol. Mid-conversation a word can temporarily take flight . Names, once my forte, are now my “Achilles heel”.

An aching back, clicking joints, an impaired knee, (a skiing injury), and the odd problem with my gastrointestinal tract suggest to me that my body parts are tiring too. Is my dysfunction a temporary condition of modern day living or am I heading the way of my laptop? Better listen carefully for some tick….. tick …… ticking.

When I took this image I was in a state of utter bliss.
I experience the same emotions each time I visit this magical location in Switzerland.