Knowing ignorance is strength.
Ignoring knowledge is sickness.If one is sick of sickness, then one is not sick.
The wise are not sick, because they are sick of sickness.
Therefore they are not sick
— Ch. Seventy One, Tao Te Ching, Translation by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English
Ignoring knowledge is sickness is one of those lines that's been repeating in my head on a daily basis since I read it. This metaphor illuminates the harm caused by willfully neglecting knowledge, or wisdom and truth.
"Sickness", here, in the context of Taoism refers to imbalance and disharmony in the mind or spirit. From a Buddhist perspective, I interpret this as delusion. This state of "sickness" leads to confusion, misunderstanding, and ultimately suffering.
How do we stop ignoring knowledge? Unsurprisingly, it begins with awareness. To recognize one's own ignorance, limitations, and misunderstanding is wisdom in and of itself.
Being "sick of sickness" is often a transformative realization when we reach a point where we become so aware of our suffering, and are so exhausted from it that we finally become motivated to transcend it.
Once you become aware of the sickness, then you're no longer sick because you know ignorance. Then you can let go of what was ailing you.
So how do we drop it? In the words of Eckart Tolle:
By dropping it. How do you drop a piece of hot coal you are holding in your hand? By recognizing you don't want to suffer in pain anymore and letting it go.
Since I've began reflecting on ignoring knowledge is sickness, I've become even more aware of how sick I really am. When I reach for something like processed foods, I immediately recognize I am delusional to knowingly put poison into my body.
So just like that, I dropped it.