I mentioned in a Previous Article about an observations I’ve been making on the behavior of life I’ve witness, and how people interact with each other.

A lot of the everyday problems are a result of this awful dichotomy of Ignorance and Arrogance.

For example, when you see a ginormous SUV parked in a spot clearly labeled “Compact Cars Only”…
Was that driver Ignorant of the sign? Or Arrogant, and thinking that the sign does not apply to them, at that time.
Either answer is not good.

Another example is when I’m walking down a pedestrian path, and a bicyclist races past; right next to a sign saying “Walk your Bike” with a Bicycle stamped with a red “No” sign.
Was the bicyclist ignorant or arrogant of the rules of the road?

Or my personal favorite, the annoying cell phone user, talking loudly in their despicable cellular phone, oblivious of the people around him/her?
Ignorance of Arrogance?

Neither answer is better than the other.

IG’NORANCE, n. [L. ignorantia; ignoro,not to know; ignarus, ignorant; in and gnarus, knowing.]

1. Want, absence or destitution of knowledge; the negative state of the mind which has not been instructed in arts, literature or science, or has not been informed of facts. Ignorance may be general, or it may be limited to particular subjects. Ignorance of the law does not excuse a man for violating it. Ignorance of facts if often venial.
   Ignorance is preferable to error.
2. Ignorances, in the plural, is used sometimes for omissions or mistakes; but the use is uncommon and not to be encouraged.

AR’ROGANCE, n. [L. arrogantia, from arrogo, to claim; of ad and rogo, to beg, or desire. See Arrogate.]

The act or quality of taking much upon one’s self; that species of pride which consists in exorbitant claims of rank, dignity, estimation or power, or which exalts the worth or importance of the person to an undue degree; proud contempt of others; conceitedness; presumption.

I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease. Is. 13. 1Sam. 2. Pov. 8.

When I observe people, in my daily walk, doing dumb, or disobedient things, I ponder for a moment: did that person just perform that act out of ignorance or arrogance?
In my thought experiment, the result is usually 50/50.

I feel secure in my pithy observations, as I know we are all guilty of ignorance or arrogance all the time. Be it from Pride, Lack of Knowledge, or Foolishness, we’re all culprits.

This week, I took my little microcosm observation on a world scale, and this Climate Change Summit in Denmark.
I asked myself the question, is it Ignorance or Arrogance, or both that is creating this conflict?

Are we, the opposition, ignorant of the damage that mankind is causing to the ecosphere? Are we ignoring damage that is very difficult to mend?

Or, are we the proponents of this debate, arrogant in the idea that mankind is capable of affecting things on a global scale; and even more so, arrogant in the idea that we can fix it?

Or, is this a mixture of both, and in that case, can either mindset accept the other?

Personally, I lean more towards one end of this idea than the other, but the thought of ignorance and arrogance in the Climate Change debate should cause all sides to take pause, and think about reality a bit, and look at the parking sign, and see if we can park our annoying SUV there or not? Or if we can ride our bike along this stretch of road? Or gab on our cell phone in a crowded restaurant.

Additionally, why do people not join the Jeremy-Gilby-dot-com-Eco-Carbon-Tetrahedron-Scheme? Ignorance, or Arrogance?