Ignorance is Bliss?

Published on by balroop2013

This phrase – ‘Ignorance is bliss’ was coined by Thomas Gray in one of his poems – ‘Ode On a Distant Prospect of Eton College’– always gives me great solace. It takes me back into those corridors of life, which were happier mainly because I was less aware; I didn’t pine for things I didn’t know about.

IT KEEPS US HAPPY:

When I was young, quite young, I had no idea that so many books contained so much of knowledge that could be beyond our comprehension. I was happy with whatever reading material I could find and felt that I had all the knowledge of the world.

When I gained some awareness about the vastness of this globe, I had no time to read much. I loved books and during my flights of fantasy, I could see myself writing. I would consciously tell myself – one day I would write my own book.

But I had no time!

IT INTRODUCES SIMPLICITY:

Life became so busy and hectic that I forgot all about reading… writing was a far cry!

As I moved on, balancing various duties of a wife, mother, homemaker and teacher, I started recording my fleeting thoughts on whatever piece of paper or notepad I could find.

It was so easy to write! I didn’t have to struggle with the haphazard placement of syllables on a keyboard, trying to locate them. All of them could flow so spontaneously from my pen!

However, I couldn’t escape the invasion of technology into my life!

But ignorance didn’t end there. It never can!

IT IS ETERNAL:

At last when I could finally manage to type all those thoughts and organize them, I discovered that I had so many poems they could form a book.

My elation went through the roof. I was going to be a published writer!

I was most thankful to my Mac at this time who told me I could self publish!sublime shadows of life

I thought I was the most knowledgeable person on this earth. I did all the research how to format, how to publish, how to create a cover and wow! I was ready to publish.

And I published my first book of Poetry: SUBLIME SHADOWS OF LIFE

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EBLWR0A

Once again, ignorance proved to be bliss for me!

Despite all the hard work that I had put in, my ignorance remained to be my best pal.

I basked in the glory of my published poetry but I didn’t know that books at Amazon.com:

  • Need promotion.
  • Should have customer reviews
  • Can’t be gifted as free copies
  • Very few people like poetry.

A NEW BEGINNING:

It has been a long journey of striving to learn and I am not the one who would give up so easily. The writer in me says: KEEP GOING!

So having elbowed some of my ignorance out, I have made another effort. My second book, which is a Non-Fiction, is ready to get published. This time I am requesting the support of all my online friends to make it a success. Ironically its title is: WHEN SUCCESS ELUDES US… A Step – by – Step Guide to Success, which will be launched on 21 July 2014 at Amazon.com.

It contains the most honest and realistic experiences. Who could have written about it, if not me?

I am extremely grateful to all my friends who have promised to help. I also look forward to the support of all those valued visitors who like my blog.

I am open to all the suggestions and advice, which you would like to offer. Please give your suggestions in the form of comments. I value each one of them.

Sharing is another name of caring. Please share this post at your favorite networks.

Balroop Singh.

 

27 thoughts on “Ignorance is Bliss?”

  1. CONGRATS))) !! What an accomplishment. WOW.
    I’ve said many times that “Poetry” has saved my life!
    For me, poetry is prayer.
    Xxxx LOVE from MN.

    1. Hi Kim,
      Thanks!!! Poetry is very close to my heart…you have given an excellent analogy! Love you for that!
      I look forward to your support and continued presence, which is greatly valued.

    1. Hi Lori,

      Thanks for your loving wishes! So happy to be connected with a like minded person. I wish I had discovered this aspect of my persona earlier! But it is never too late…I think I have a lot more to share.
      Thanks for standing by and supporting me, I appreciate it.

  3. Congratulation! Tons of best wishes for your new book . You have no idea how happy I am for you as I see myself to be like you in future :)….. I know is its hard to even imagine. But it is well said” Where there is a will there is a way” . Looking forward for your new book ……………..:)

    1. Hi Daljeet,

      Thanks for your loving wishes, I can almost hear them! I know your emotions are so truly expressed and I am so blessed to have friends like you. I had given a copy of my book to all my old friends but you were so far away, hope to meet you next year!
      Life seems to be quite busy at your end? I hope you are good.

      1. Everything is going good now. But last few months were quite busy as Mandeep’s Brother and Sister’s family from India was visiting us. And I was not well before that. I missed your articles during this time. So I am going to catch up with everything soon. Do Plan to come over… pleasure will be all mine. I missed reading your first book but this time I will order as soon as I can……………hope we meet soon.

  4. Hi Balroop,

    I am one of those rare people who love poetry. I have since I was a small boy. I love what it informs me about life and I enjoy it as a form of expression too. I think there is an ignorance which is necessary, such as the being callow, that protects us from knowing things before we can grasp their meaning. All in good time. I think a level of ignorance is also helpful in not taking things personally, where you safely ignore comments intended to be hurtful.

    I wish you every success in your new book. Email me if I can be of help to you.

    Kind Regards,
    Bill

    1. Hi Bill,

      I am so pleased to know that you love poetry since you were a boy! I remember whenever we conducted a workshop or a poetry writing contest, most of the boys would make faces and would exclaim – oh! no, not again.

      Poetry has a special charm for me, never thought about the reason behind it but I enjoyed reading it since childhood. It is that genre through which we can say a lot, very succinctly. Some of my poems are very honest, directed at those whom I dislike! but I can never hurt anybody intentionally.

      Thank you for your loving wishes and yes, I would surely need help from my soul brother.

  5. Looking forward to your new book. Poetry can be a hard sell to many, but I like to read it from time to time and it was always my favorite unit to teach when I was still in the classroom. The world would be well-served to have more poets 😉

    1. Hi Jeri,

      I wish I had known this earlier, though I had got some whiffs of that sort as a teacher. I too liked to teach poetry with all my emotion and passion but I had noticed at that time that many students didn’t seem to like it much.
      Poetry flows spontaneously out of my veins, I don’t have to make much effort as I have to, while forming my sentences!

      Thanks for your visit, I value it truly.

  6. Balroop, we are thrilled beyond belief and so VERY happy for you!!! What a fantastic accomplishment! Hopefully you will inspire more writers to soon do the same, our friend! 🙂

    1. Hi Mike,

      Thanks for the thrills and the wishes, they are reaching me with the same gusto! So what are you and phoenix planning? Looking forward to your support.

  7. Congrats Balroop!
    Just having created 2 books is an amazing feat.And yes, marketing is very important. I keep wondering if I will make the effort to write a book or collection of poems and photos. Blessings, Brad

    1. Hi Brad,

      I truly need blessings of all my friends. Thanks for noticing this post and coming here to give me your wishes and support. Hope it continues.
      I am sure you will succeed in your efforts to write a book – where there is will there is surely a way!

      Thanks for your valued visit and adding your view.

  8. Hi Balroop,

    Congratulations on your books, with the second one coming up, which I am sure is going to be wonderful indeed 🙂

    My sister writes poetry, though she published her first novel as a crime fiction and the second was another different one. I guess variety is the spice of life, and as long as you keep writing, you keep going.

    Yes, ignorance IS bliss and one can take up so many examples of this, and just like you mentioned, one is so tied down in the earlier years with kids and family that it’s tough to read books, leave alone write on. I think I’m going through that phase now, but writing a book is on my agenda too, so we keep our fingers crossed.

    Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead 🙂

    1. Hi Harleena,

      You are so right…life is like that – it keeps moving in various directions and that is how it enriches us! I am very sure you can publish a book any day, you are so prolific that if you start writing a book, you can finish it within a few months. The only requirement is time and yes, it seems to be fleeting at that busy stage of life.

      Thanks for the good wishes and kind words. I am so glad that you too agree – ignorance is indeed a bliss! You too have a nice week.

  9. Congratulations Balroop, you are an inspiration! I wish you the best of luck in the publication of your second book. But, regardless of its monetary rewards, it has already served you well to help you uncover wonderful things about yourself, I am sure. Writing is like a magic elixir that helps to peel away the layers and discover what is laying at our core. Best wishes for an inspired day!

    1. Hi Dave,

      Thanks for the kind words and welcome to my humble place of creativity…I feel honoured to have an author of such a high calibre as you.

      You are right, we write just because we feel good about it, just because the ideas just coax us to and yes, it unfolds those undiscovered layers of our persona. For me, writing is a very fulfilling experience, monetary rewards don’t matter and they were never in my mind when I started scribbling my thoughts.

      Thanks for standing by and expressing your view, it means a lot to me.

  10. The best lesson in this post for me, Balroop, is how you’re continuing to go forward after your first publication. You saw what worked and what didn’t and are taking another stab at it. Most people would have done one book or become exasperated with the process and given up. Or would have simply given up in the process of publishing – there seems to be quite a few steps from a completed manuscript to having it up for sale on Amazon. Anyway, it’s inspiring to see you did it and doing it again. I’m looking forward to your book coming out and reading it! I could use all the success tips in the world:)

    1. Hi Vishnu,

      I am so humbled by all the support and the wishes my good friends have extended. Thank you so much! I look forward to your review of this book after you go through all the tips!

      This is probably the innate trait… that I never give up and when you are driven by your passion, the possibility strengthens itself. So I am quite determined to follow my passion. I am so glad that you find this inspiring.

      Thanks Vishnu, for taking time out for coming and standing by to comment, which is always appreciated.

  11. Oh my goodness how I can relate to you Balroop. We don’t know what we don’t know until we’re hit with the realization and then we have to learn about it very quickly.

    So today is the big day, well congratulations. I’m so excited for you and glad to help spread the word about your new book. I’m sorry I couldn’t help more when you needed me too but I’ll do what I can to get it out there in front of my audience. I’m sure that it will really help anyone who is where most of us have been I’m afraid. Wish I had time to read it right now but I think you know everything I’ve got going at the moment.

    I wish you all the best my dear.

    ~Adrienne

    1. Thank you so much for your best wishes, Adrienne. Your support in spreading the word would mean a lot to me, dear. So go ahead! I look forward to that good gesture.
      Your words are a big source of inspiration! Thanks for coming over and sharing your view. I appreciate your presence here.

  12. Such an accomplishment. I say that because 4 books lay unfinished in my harddrive! Best of luck! Balroop! Glad to be part of the supporters! ❤

    1. Thank you Jodi. I am sure you will be able to publish those four books very soon….right now what you are doing is far nobler! Keep up the healing and receive all the blessings!

      I am glad you are my supporter. Thank you so much! Love you for being so kindhearted.

  13. Congratulations, Balroop! Your book sounds awesome. I also self published and have my book listed as an ebook. Although I do sell a hard copy as well. I also learned we need those much coveted ‘reviews’ to get noticed. Your poetry sounds wonderful, too. I see you at many of my favorite sites so thought I would stop by and get to know you.

    1. Hi Lisa,

      Welcome to my blog, I am glad you decided to get in touch though I have also noticed your lovely face many times. Thank you for the wishes and such kind words, they mean a lot to me.

      You are right, reviews play an important role in promoting the book but I fail to figure out how to get them. I can’t get paid reviews so I guess we can review each other’s work. Is your ebook available at Amazon or elsewhere?

      Thanks for stopping by and breaking the ice, much appreciated.

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