“Why do they call it cologne for men and perfume for women?” was the question my youngest daughter posed to me as she lay in bed, after a long day.
My initial instinct was to offer a guess. Perhaps it’s based on where each originated geographically. She rightfully questioned this theory. Eventually, I admitted my ignorance as I really had no idea. I told her I would look it up and let her know the next day.
As it turns out, while it is common to stereotype the use of each term by gender, it actually has no basis in fact. The distinction between cologne and perfume is the percentage of fragrance oils contained in each and their corresponding longevity. A cologne typically has 2-4% of fragrance oil in its composition and lasts between 2-4 hours while a perfume is between 20-30% lasting 6-8 hours or longer.
A child’s curiosity was the catalyst for turning my ignorance into knowledge.
It is ok to be ignorant, after all we are not born with complete knowledge of the universe, but it is another thing to stay that way.
Ignore, ignorant and ignoramus all come from the same latin root, meaning “to not know,” but represent different degrees of intention.
There are many reasons for our ignorance. We may lack the curiosity to explore something we don’t know, or the time or interest to pursue knowledge. We could assume we know things we don’t. There is actually a term for this is; the Dunning-Kruger effect. This is when people, despite their lack of knowledge, overestimate their competence in a given area. Know anyone who sounds like that?
Our ignorance is manifesting itself a lot these days. People not understanding how tariffs or vaccines work. Or unaware of the vital role different parts of our government play in our daily lives. We also see it in our general ignorance about how others live – underestimating both their struggles and their strengths. Many of us are even ignorant about our own lives, not knowing really where we came from, why we feel the way we do or how we became who we are today.
The dangers of being ignorant should be obvious. Ignorance is not bliss. It is dangerous – to ourselves, our loved ones and our society. In short, ignorance – unlike either cologne or perfume – stinks.
On the other hand, ignorance’s opposite – knowledge is, as they say, power. Attaining it is sometimes as simple as following up on a child’s innocent question, admitting our own ignorance and choosing to do something about it.
This Week’s Recommendation: Find an opportunity to turn your ignorance into knowledge, then reflect on how that makes you feel. If you’re looking for a comical example of ignorance in practice, check out Episode #2 of the new show, The Studio. After watching it, pledge not to be “Matt.”
Share this with someone who you taught you something, anything – who in essence made you less ignorant.