The old pharmacist who encouraged Naruun to study medicine told him that ignorance "is its own kind of hell." What do you think he meant? What is your view?

The old pharmacist who encouraged Naruun to study medicine told him that ignorance "is its own kind of hell." What do you think he meant? What is your view?

Ignorance creates an atmosphere where we as people are doomed to repeat mistakes made in the past. It’s a kin to going to hell and repeating arduous tasks over and over, never reaching any end. So yes, to me ignorance is it’s own hell

Ignorance led to the young boys in Cambodia committing all kinds of evil as they fell under the spell of leaders who were interested in only power. I wonder how those boys felt later when they learned the enormity of their acts. The one young boy that the Old Musician met in Slak Daek comes to realize his complicity in torture and gives the Old Musician a way out with the gift of the knife.

That is such a profound statement. I see people today so wrapped up in rhetoric that they don't look at the actual facts. It's all name-calling and accusations. They don't want to know the facts and are actually "uneducated" and "ignorant" of what they are doing and the possible results of their actions. One needs to learn the facts in order to be educated and deal realistically with the world.

Ignorance is a way of avoiding truth. Truth can be painful, so there are those individuals who revel in the belief that "ignorance is bliss" only to learn that ignorance is truly its own hell.

I agree with beckyh. Evil men in power often prey on the young, innocent and uneducated to do their dirty work. Without them they are powerless.
The old pharmacist wanted to warn Naruun that his life would not be the best it could be without knowledge. All Naruun had to do was look around to see what kind of hell ignorance had already created.

The old pharmacist was wise to instruct Naruun, ignorance is hell. No knowing will cause us to make the same mistakes over and over. We see this today in our country where people are ready to jump in and riot and destroy without waiting to learn the facts. They act out of ignorance. This is why it is so important to study history and to learn from the past so that we do not repeat the mistakes that led to wars.

I think the old pharmacist was a smart man. If I overhear conversations among a group of teenagers discussing national events or even local happenings I realize how young and un-informed they are and want to tell them all the details and facts that they don't know. I know better than to attempt that as they would get that glassy eyed look that says clearly that I and just too old to really no "what's happenen".

This question ties into how Teera feels about reminders of Pol Pot- she hates the reminders, but she at least has knowledge, and can live in a better way perhaps, teaching others from what she’s learned. To go on without knowledge, to live in ignorance might sound great sometimes, but is ultimately harmful and damaging. Imagine the hell of never learning that stepping onto a highway was dangerous, imagine never knowing what plants could kill you with their poison.