Late Night Philosophy

Ignorance, Tolerance, and Non-Interferance

I have a policy of non-interference. I’d rather not mess with things that are none of my business, unless circumstances require that I make things my business. Moreover, I’d rather not have people interfering with my business. I don’t mind casual interest, but most of the time, when people feel the need to butt in with their advice, it was unasked for and not useful. Also, long barrages of small-talk questioning bothers me too. Most of the time, I’d rather not like to get to know the fellow who sits across from me at lunch or on a break at work. It’s not simply that I’m obviously engaged (reading a book or writing) or that I offer the same pithy response to everything that’s said or that I just don’t care. The reason is that I’d rather not know. What good could come of it? If I know too much about another person (more particularly, someone whom I didn’t ask to know, but yet they just kept on talking) and suddenly that person gets in trouble, then I’m the one who might have that tid-bit of information that’s either going to save them, if I stay quiet, or ruin them, if I talk. And I hate that. When it comes right down to it, I’d rather not get someone in trouble. Let trouble find that someone and leave me out of it. Sometimes knowing too much about someone can get that someone in trouble without my knowing it. For example, my brother was coming home very late and I was asked by my father what his school schedule was. If I had known what it was, I probably would have told him, thereby getting my brother in trouble (and I should be loyal to my brother, shouldn’t I?). If I decided to lie and say I didn’t know I’d be lying, wouldn’t I? And one shouldn’t lie. However, if I’m ignorant of my brother’s schedule, then I’m no longer any use as an informational lackey. I don’t have to lie and I don’t have to help. I think people ought to get in trouble because they screwed up, not because some worthless schmuck sold out. Moreover, I can’t get in trouble because I sold out and I don’t have to be a middle-man. Bottom line, if there’s any information about yourself can be used against you, don’t tell me. I’d rather not know.

Granted, I can keep a secret. But hey, not everything’s a secret… it’s just not a well-known fact.

Or what if I know something positive about someone? If people are putting that person down behind that person’s back, and I know something that counters it, suddenly I’ve got to be the hero who sticks up for that person. But dammit, I can’t be silent about it, even though I hate doing it. I mean, no one ever defended me, at least not when it counted. Like, if someone’s complaining that someone else is always late, and I know that that person is poor or lives really far or has an insane grandma or is visiting a dying relative or whatever, then I feel morally obligated to step forward with that. But I don’t want to. Most of the time I don’t even consider myself that person’s friend, but I wouldn’t complain about him or her either.


"I can't imagine a God who would care."
"I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid."
Bishop, Aliens
Please read my journal "Late Night Philosophy" 
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