Blog 8

Does knowledge make you happier?

The knowledge is not always making us happy because the result of educational process might be different. Sometime we can feel happy when we learn something positive. However, we can be miserable if the knowledge doesn’t satisfy us. According to Cornell and Malcolmson’s article Neo who is protagonist from “Matrix” and prisoner from “Allegory of the Cave” experienced positive and negative things to get some knowledge. They were happy to know truth about real world, and same time that knowledge was painful for both of them. I thing the knowledge sometime makes us fortunate; but sometime it brings us a lot of problems that make us feel pain that need to change all following life; in addition, the learning makes us more knowledgeable that allow us to make less mistakes.

Some of the people glad to hear the truth or learn something unusual that happened with Neo and the prisoner from “Allegory of the Cave.” There both figured out the truth about real world. Of course, it made them happy but they needed to overcome some obstacles like to reach outside of underground in “Allegory of the Cave”, and to come in real world in “Matrix.” However, despite of their difficulties they were so happy to see real sun, real nature, and real life. Likewise, prisoner and Neo I like to know truth, and I can say that it makes me happy. For instance, when my friend said me about some my improper behaviors, inside of me I fell unpleasantness, but I always try to overcome it like obstacles that overdid prisoner and Neo. In addition, I glad change them because I don’t want to hurt unfamiliar people with that. Then I feel happy that all surrounded people glad to meet and know me. Thus, the result of the truth always becomes advantageous, even though we must overpass some difficulties.

Some cognition brings us some obstacles and pains such I wrote before, but these difficulties surmountable. The prisoner from “Allegory of the Cave” assayed the pain when he saw the sun. Rays of the bright sun blind prisoner’s eyes and hurt them. Neo from “Matrix” was shocked when he recognized about real life, and how was difficult to survive into. I remember the story that I heard few years ago. One married a couple, who had lived for 2 or 3 years together at that time, decided to make up the evening of the truth, and they agreed to tell only truth what had happened before they married. They both were talkative, and narrated each other many interesting stories such as who were their boyfriends or girlfriends, what they did, and so on. After that evening they both couldn’t fall asleep, they were thinking all night. At the next day they became different regarding each other, as if they substituted. Past one month, they divorced because they couldn’t absolve their love adventures each other. Both suffered and over passed moral difficulties and started new life; nowadays, they have their happy families. This story point out the pain that happen after heard truth, how the truth changes the following life and after pain always become a wonderful life.

Nevertheless all difficulties and pains the end of the educational process permit us to be more knowledgeable. When we know the truth we are stronger. We can make our decision without mistakes, or we have some dreams such as the prisoner wanted to help their co-prisoners and to open eyes them, or Neo who should save the planet of Earth and to give all people a freedom. The cognition helps us to help other and avoid some mistakes. Next story I heard from my one of the classmates. He came from Mexico. He overdid a lot of obstacles when he was walking across a desert where was dangerous with many of coyotes and snakes to cross Mexican and USA border illegally. However, before he went to cross border, he had recognized who could help him to cross it and how all process occurs. This knowledge helped them to save his life from wild animals, avoid a prison and deportation. This example shows us that cognition can avoid making mistakes and other difficulties.

In short, the truth not always makes us happy or happier. Sometimes, we have to overcome some obstacles, and then we can enjoy our happiness. The protagonists from “Allegory in the Cave” and “Matrix” also were glad to see sunshine and real world. However, it takes a lot of energies to persuade their co-prisoners or to save real world. Despite of all difficulties I think a bitter truth better than a sweet lie.