On Being Ignorant...

This literature class has given me the ability to comfortably admit that I am ignorant. I know some people in the class became highly offended when Sexson announced that we all are ignorant, but honestly, we are. We are not all-knowing beings, hence we are all ignorant to a certain extent. In fact, I would much rather have a conversation with someone who freely admits that they don't know everything, but are willing to explore and learn more about subjects that they aren't already stubbornly fixed on.

Yeah, okay, you like reading long novels. Congratulations. You're still just as ignorant as me and everyone else.

It might just be an opinion, but people who don't think they are ignorant probably aren't self-aware enough. Admitting that you know nothing is the first step to wisdom, in my opinion. Reading is a wonderful way to break from ignorance, and the Brothers K. is a novel that excels beyond most that I've read in that are. And you know what? It's not because it's a 700+ page book. If you start reading it, and really getting into the the content, you almost forget just how long the book really is. It covers every topic that makes for great literature and overs insight into issues that are still considered taboo today (I think it's safe to say that Dostoevsky was ahead of his time, no?).

I've read several books that are on-par with The Brothers K. that were half the length. I guess that I'm trying to say is that even though reading and finishing the Brothers Karamazov was a gratifying experience, I don't feel like I've suddenly become "un-ignorant" or whatever. Do I feel like I've made progress in understanding that there is so much about the human condition that can never be understood? Yes. Did I learn to look at life the way Dostoevsky does in his novel (that is, that we are all responsible for everyone else's actions)? Absolutely. Do I feel like I've been struck by an all-knowing bolt of lightning because I finished a long book? Of course not. Reading this book was an insightful experience, but it's only a small stepping stone towards abandoning ignorance. I feel like every book you read has that effect. Not just the long ones.

I simply feel like I know a little bit more about a world I will never fully understand.