Ignorance is bliss

Time and time again, I am reminded of the infamous Egyptian ignorance. That which makes them say and do the most unbelievably idiotic things that wouldn't, in a million years, ever cross your mind had you been in their shoes.

Since the attitude towards education is the same as that towards food: (It won't matter tomorrow if I have nothing to eat today), the population simply does not give education the time of day, and don't know how enlightening it can be to know your A,B,Cs... as is the case of the woman this blog post will now discuss.

Just this morning I was in a taxi on my way to a friend's birthday, when suddenly a brand new Terios' rear end was shattered into shreds by a speeding taxi coming from behind. The fight which followed the incident is not the issue I intend to discuss, because I already know that people here will never change their ways, but what I'd like to comment on is what the woman riding in my taxi had to say about the matter.

She was a short woman of about 35 years. Her horribly conspicuous make-up indicated that she came from a lower class family, probably a simple civil servant, who had never seen larger than a 200 LE note in her life. All this woman had to say was:

"I don't know what that guy (driver of the Terios) is so pissed off about. He can fix that damage for like 100 pounds, and it wouldn't amount to one day out in a cafeteria!!"

Now in case you didn't notice the irony, I'll spell it out for you. There is no dent, no matter how small, that will cost less than 1000 pounds, and there's no decent middle or upper middle class citizen who would ever put himself in the position of having to pay more than 30 or 40 pounds in a cafeteria.

The point that I wish to make is simple: People are so jealous, and so incredibly bitter of being deprived the simplest luxuries, that they make out any person fortunate enough to have what they want into a blood sucking monster, who has more money than God, and who would shower the streets with 100 pound bills if he felt like doing so on a whim.

I concluded from today's experience that ignorance really is bliss, because if the bitter, envious people of this country knew the truth about he lives of those they envy so much, they would become even more bitter, and more loathing of the people they will always wish to be like.