“One Little Hour”

My co-workers at Third Federal Bank are perfectly willing to imprecate faithless friends, annoying customers, and obstinate family members. Blasphemy, scatology, and vulgarity are the hors d’oeuvres with a liberal sprinkling of f-bombs as garnish. But the main course is Ignorance.

A complaint might begin with, “Well, his baby momma gonna beat him,” or, “No he dinnint call you fat!” Why is a “pimp daddy” or rude customer so insensitive? It certainly has nothing to do with the depravity of his heart, his incapibility of doing what is right because his will is corrupted by sin. No, it is because he is Ignorant.

My roommate, Michael Gembola, confirms that Ignorance is in the vernacular of his inner city kids. They may not know how to find the US on a globe or do basic algebra, but they know that the fundamental reason why people hurt one another is Ignorance.

I call it the Doctrine of Absolute Ignorance. If people understood the consequences of their actions they would be better people. The implied solution is education. If you teach people what their actions mean, than they will no longer offend others by word or deed.

I admit that I’m of two minds on the Biblicism of this idea. On the one hand you have the apostle Paul telling us that the good he knows to do, he never gets done, while on the other hand you can train up a child in the way he should go and that child will remain faithful to the truth he has been taught.

The idea is not original. Plato and Socrates discussed ignorance as the root of evil. Even Augustine can be interpreted in support. Still, it is interesting that this idea has permeated all the way down to the lower ranks of society.

Note on Pronunciation: Ignorant is normally pronounced “Ig-nur-rint” in Philadelphia.