"Is ignorance bliss?" and a July 4th question

In response to last week’s question, "Is ignorance bliss?," my writing and sailing friend Rich wasn't sure when, "My wife says I am the most blissful person she has ever met….."

My transportation friend Chris (happy birthday last week, you don't look anything like it), observed, "My 24 year old proves this over and over.  I miss those blissful days and almost envy my 24 year old. ALMOST..."

My birthday bud Jon declared, "I can happily answer that I do not know."   My temple friend Tracey shared, "Truly.  As someone who has served on several administrative boards, the more you know, the worse it can be," to which my transportation friend Joe added, "I wouldn’t know – I’m not a politician."

My equestrian friend Royce, as if from experience, wrote, "If you are not aware you are ignorant it can be blissful," to which my dad's beach buddy Bob replied, "You are not supposed to feel pain when you are unconscious."

My temple friend Richard replied, "The people on reality TV shows for the most part appear to be happy, so I suppose the answer is “Yes!”   To put a different spin on an old Rudyard Kipling quote:  “If you can keep your wits about you while all others are losing theirs…You probably don’t have a very good grasp of your situation!”

My marketing friend Mark concluded, "Absolutely not. I would feel much much better about myself if it were true."  And my temple friend Lesley advised, "How can ignorance be bliss if you don't know what you are missing?"

Please share your thoughts about this week's "things that make you go 'Hmmm' “:

What does freedom cost?

Live well...laugh often and heartily.... have a good week and never regret anything that made you smile!

Hal

<> Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same. Ronald Reagan

<> Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. George Orwell

<> For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. Nelson Mandela

<> America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. Abraham Lincoln

<> Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth. John F. Kennedy

Thanks to Demetri Martin, Steven Wright and George Carlin for the inspiration for Hmmm.  Stop by www.nichelabs.com to see what else I'm up to.