Reflections on my Baha'i Fast - Day 2

A good way to start the day (at 5am).

During today's fasting, I've been thinking a lot about ignorance - both the ignorance of others as well as my own. As an educator, I work to combat ignorance by giving my students access to information and, more importantly, by trying to teach them to think critically and independently, to question and to always seek the truth for themselves. I frequently quote Public Enemy to them saying, "Don't Believe the Hype."

So, when I am faced with the overwhelming ignorance left to be conquered in the world, like this article about a Park Slope neighborhood's attempt to ban rap at a local establishment, or the comments in this article about the death of young Bostonian, I am tempted to try and intervene by educating. I'm working on understanding that I cannot and should not try to teach everyone. Rather than trying to address every instance of ignorance I come across (and wear myself out in the process by fighting many small battles), I need to focus my energies on battling the big boss, addressing ignorance where I can be most effective: on my students and most significantly on myself.