"Willingly Ignorant" / Wet Paint / Free Solo - Alex Honnold

** “Willingly Ignorant” **

II Peter 3

1 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:

2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:

3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come …. —

I have, since my earliest memories, always questioned … pretty much everything. However, contrary to what most thought, I wasn’t always wanting to be “contrary” just for the sake of being contrary. I honestly wanted (and still want) to know for myself why I should or shouldn’t do something, believe something, support something, obey something or somebody. I’m not against a group or herd mentality; however, I need to be convinced — for myself.

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** Wet Paint **

We’ve all seen “Wet Paint” signs. And we all know the inner compulsion to just reach out and … touch it. Or, perhaps, you’re the type that accepts it’s wet because the sign says so.

Are we to obey all wet paint signs or can there be circumstances that might justify questioning the sign?

As simple as this wet paint illustration might be, it speaks to the greater life experience. In all reality, life is made up of a multitude of “Wet Paint” scenarios. All of which require us to choose what course of action we will or will not take.

And perhaps … if we all had been more mindful of our “wet paint” experiences, if we had questioned ourselves and others more, we might be different people than we are today. An over simplification? I don’t think so.

Let me explain —

As a kid, I chose to not be “willingly ignorant” about that problematic wet paint sign. I asked myself how I could become less ignorant regarding the true condition of the paint. After all, I’m not supposed to touch it -- for my good and the good of others, mind you. {Today’s “wet paint” scenarios? To mask or to not mask. To vaccinate or to not vaccinate. For your good and the good of others, mind you.}

So as a kid, what were my “Wet Paint” actionable options?

I could believe the sign. I soon discovered a problem though: Wet paint signs weren’t dated. How long had the sign been up? I had no way of knowing. That bothered me. It could already be dry and the person forgot to take down the sign. My curiosity only increased. At that point, nothing was more important to me than the status of that paint!

I could smell the paint. If I can’t trust the sign then maybe I could see if the paint still smelled wet. Great idea! But, how much of the wet paint smell has to be gone before it’s 100% safe to touch? I truly don’t want to mess up the paint job. I truly don’t want to get wet paint on me. It only seems fair I should have more information.

I could monitor how many days the “wet paint” sign stays up. I therefore commence counting the days. A few days go by and the sign is still there. How long is it going to take for that wet paint to dry! I don’t know.

I could ask an informed adult. But how are they going to know for sure? I could assume the adult had encountered the same conundrum back when he was a kid. Surely, an adult can offer words of quantifiable wisdom and insight.

But … wouldn’t you know it, there ain’t no adult to be found. And I need to know NOW. Who knows, I might walk past that sign and inadvertently trip over my “growth spurt” uncoordinated feet and fall headlong onto that wet paint. My mom will absolutely KILL me if that happens.

So …

For several days I walk by that sign. It taunts me, mocks me, sneers at me, dares me. And yet somehow, I resist the powerfully innate desire to question the sign, to challenge the sign.

But …

By now I’m starting to feel a little stupid.

And …

I’m getting @#*&+% mad.

When will the person take down that stupid sign! Doesn’t he know it’s negatively impacting my psyche? Evidently not.

Right then-and-there I resolve, that when I grow up, I will never thoughtlessly torment poor little kids like that. I will always take down my “wet paint” signs … and the yard sale signs … and the who-to-vote-for signs … and any other signs I put up for the rest of my entire life.

I’m finally forced to make a personal decision about that menacing sign.

Based upon the highly empirical data I have amassed, I conclude it’s safe to touch the paint. And as I do, I sense the confidence that comes from making a decision and acting upon it … not based on what someone told me but based upon all the hard effort I put into — finding out for myself.

But wait …

Maybe I’ve stumbled upon an important insight by means of my “wet paint” sign experience.

What’s that?

I realize I can’t excuse myself or blame anyone else but me if I’m not willing to do the hard work to make my own informed decisions.

And so I wonder …

Could it be people won’t/don’t think and decide conclusively for themselves so they won’t have to take personal responsibility? Could be.

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** Free Solo - Alex Honnold **

Soooooo … to build upon the “Wet Paint” sign dilemma —

Today, moments before I started to write this blog, I happened upon the below article about Alex Honnold.

Let me preface, and soften, what I say with this. My heart genuinely felt concern for this man’s soul. Not because I’m judging him. No. I admire in a huge way what he achieved. I honestly and wholeheartedly mean that.

However, with that said, I have a sadness in my heart for him. Why? Because I was like him at one point but, thankfully, now realize all I would have missed in this life and for all eternity.

By climbing El Capitan, Alex Honnold truly performed an unbelievable feat of skill and daring. He has earned the acclaimed right to feel a sense of well-deserved pride.

But as great as that achievement was, could it be there is still yet a Greater Mountain for him to climb?

Meaning …?

A person just can’t decide one day to go and climb El Capitan, right? It takes a lot of rigorously informed training and practice.

Likewise, a person just can’t decide one day to dismiss God. Deciding you’re “anti-religion” because “it’s all just medieval superstition” is, quite frankly, an excuse. The quest for God deserves at least as much effort as it takes to challenge a mountain, right? Both have serious ramifications.

Here’s the part I’ve taken from the article. You can click on it for the complete article.

Climber Alex Honnold on Filming “Free Solo,” Facing Death and Rejecting Religion

“The notion of God is absent from Free Solo. With a movie like this, the audience might expect a scene where everyone is praying for your safety. But you’re not into that? No, I’m very anti-religion. I think it’s all just medieval superstition. Religion relies on some desire for a spiritual connection and I do get that from just being out in Yosemite. I get that feeling of grandeur and awe in the world sitting on a cliff at sunset, watching the mountains glow pink, that a lot of people get through religious faith.

“Do you think that your being an atheist is linked to your attitude about death? I’ve certainly thought about my mortality more than most. I think some people turn to faith as a crutch, to avoid thinking about mortality — you know, “Well, I’ll carry on forever in some eternal kingdom.” But the harder thing is to stare into the abyss and understand that when it’s over, it’s over.”

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** Final Thoughts **

It doesn’t matter if it’s COVID, mountain climbing, your eternal destiny, or anything else. You owe it to yourself to make wise decisions and take bold actions based upon your own empirical data. There is no justifiable excuse for being “willingly ignorant.” It just takes a genuine due diligence — especially so, when it comes to eternal life.

Willing ignorance is not an option. It’s just … ignorant.

So …

What are we to do when we encounter the “Wet Paint” signs of life?

My suggestion? Be brave.

It’s OK, and even desirable, to question. Push yourself beyond your self-imposed fears and excuses. We, ultimately, are responsible for our actions.

We’re not absolved of our responsibility by saying: “I only did what I was told. I was just following orders.” Nor are we absolved of our responsibility by assuming faith in God is “all just medieval superstition” which “for some” is “a crutch, to avoid thinking about mortality.”

One best put in the hard work and effort to be sure there’s really no God. Falling from a mountain to one’s death, that’s one thing. Being cast by God into The Lake of Fire through willing ignorance, that’s an altogether different matter. That’s an “abyss” you don’t want to stare into for all eternity.

**Here are a few little “Bible hills” to start on. Get over these and you’ll be on your way. If you choose to back out, you’ll have no one to blame but yourself. Up for the greatest challenge of your life?**

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” Psalm 14:1

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” II Corinthians 5:17

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:13, 17

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” Hebrews 9:27-28

“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. “ Revelation 20:12-15