OP-ED: How Injecting Ignorance Can Free Your Mind

Have you ever considered what you don’t know with pride? I don’t mean this in an esoteric way, either. I’m not hitting you with low level enlightenment here. This isn’t about “the more you learn, the less you realize you know.”

This is different. 

I’ll give you an example. Back when I was playing baseball, I’d take an odd pride in not knowing very basic (and some would say important) things like what times our games were or who’d we be playing against. My response to those who this was surprising to would always be, “I don’t know what I’d do with that information.” 

It felt like wasted energy. When you know you have to be at the ballpark at 1:30pm, there’s no real use in knowing that the game starts at 7:05pm. After all, that information wouldn’t change anything about what my movements will be. 

Today, this is important for me off the field and I think it might be important for you, too. You and I and everyone we know is sitting at the rough end of an avalanche of information every week. 

You can’t afford to concern yourself with superfluous information. 

Take inventory. Are there details, facts, and bits of information you find yourself collecting that don’t change anything about your life? 

Ditch ‘em.