The Cost Of Knowledge

Many people scoff when they hear that "ignorance is bliss." While the phrase is not perfect, it is quite accurate quite often. I can't enjoy most movies. At least, I can't get into them the way others can.

I know who a top tier main character is, and that means they are never going to be in any danger. I know who the expendable main characters are, and that they will likely die a heroic death. The bad guys are obviously bad. The good guys always win, even if it is sometimes a bittersweet victory. I don't spend the entire movie predicting what will happen next, but I can pinpoint every time a character said or did something that will be relevant later in the movie (basically any and all exposition).

I can still appreciate a well-crafted story. I still enjoy good execution of a story idea. Some elements are just worthy, even if you did see them coming. I respect the creators doing a good job with a traditional story.

The only real problem is that there isn't much surprise in these stories. There isn't much to think about. I see them less as works of art and more as the way a carpenter looks at a table. It may be fancy or pretty or have nice decorations within it, but I know what the structure is, how it functions, and most of the variants. A skilled carpenter is unlikely to go into a furniture shop and be surprised by what he sees.

That is the cost of knowledge. Some people may say that it gives you a new and different appreciation for the art and the skills involved in it. I don't disagree. But I will also say that it comes at the cost of losing your naivete. It comes at the cost of being wowed by the basics. It comes at the cost of needing incredibly higher quality to be as amazed as the uneducated are by the average.