Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

How happy is the blameless Vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd
-Alexander Pope (or from the movie from which this discussion stems...)

It's the whole ignorance is bliss idea; would it make us happier to just be kept in the dark, unaware of what is really going on in the world around us? Sometimes I think that would be accurate. Think of how innocent children are, they see everything as faultless, void of impurity. I have never been a fan of growing up, I don't like discovering flaws in the people (and institutions) around me, and I would certainly like to forget all my anger and pain. [like the characters in ESotSM who sign up for an erasing of each other from their memories when they end their relationship]

Why isn't this eternal sunshine a good idea? Why must we be susceptible to trials and tribulations?

Believe it or not, suffering is linked with our freedom and well being. How can we have the freedom to choose good without having evil as an option? We are not mindless drones, created so that God can 'feel loved.' What sort of love can be forced? It wouldn't be actual love without the choice, without the contrast. Knowing of suffering isn't its only use for us. Actually undergoing pain is what weathers us, shapes us, builds us strong for what we must face next. Think of polished sea glass, it is only after seasons of being tossed in the waves and rubbing against sand that the jagged broken edges become soft and smooth. I'm under construction, I need the beating of life and its problems to make me the person I need to become. How will I learn if I forget the pain? A child who burns her finger on the stove will cry, but she won't touch it again. I want to continue to learn; as cliché'd as it is, I thirst for knowledge; I want to know the whole story, even if it may be upsetting. I want to grow and not be stagnant. I wish the same on my friendships, on my marriage; I want these to be the best they can be, so maybe I am willing to weather a little bit to keep on going, to improve and develop.

Maybe growing up does have its perks. Impurities are what make us unique. Clouds are required for a beautiful sunset. And that sunshine -it's like joy, a deep down goodness, one that cannot be affected or diminished by pain; it never goes away.