Knowledge

July 18, 2015 {199/365} Belladonna

As much as I am committed to life-long learning, I sometimes struggle to balance beliefs that "knowledge is power" while "ignorance is bliss".  For example, years ago, I didn't know that these pretty purple flowers and their equally lovely crimson berries are actually very poisonous. This new knowledge now helps me keep Piper safe when we walk in the woods. Yet, there is certain innocent ignorance that is enchanting, like beloved childhood myths who leave presents on Christmas Eve or money under pillows in exchange baby teeth or believing that Christopher Plumber actually sang "Edelweiss" in The Sound of Music.

Another of my long-held, innocent beliefs was shattered today as I read Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee's "sequel" to To Kill a Mockingbird. I don't like to read reviews of books or films before I see them; I would rather formulate my own opinion without outside influences. So I won't give anything away here either expect that, despite the controversy surrounding the "suspicious" timing of the book's publication and the unpopular depiction of its beloved characters, the fact remains that Harper Lee did indeed write this version of the Finch family. It's a book about personal convictions and conscience that we all must reconcile for ourselves. For thus the Lord said to me: "Go, set a watchman; let him announce what he sees." (Isaiah 21:6)