Ignorance is bliss

Is ignorance bliss? I think it must be. Look at Homer Simpson the lovable oaf. To Homer happiness is a fresh doughnut or a can of beer. Here's one example, Homer is sitting on the sofa watching TV and he's down to the last peanut but drops it under the couch. When he reaches underneath to find it he instead finds a 20 dollar bill. He grunts in disgust at first but then a light goes on in his head and as he realizes he can buy many peanuts with the 20. Homer is a happy man but what about someone who is educated and intelligent, someone who is cognizant of all the human suffering, environmental degradation and any number of other problems in the world? What then? And I'm tired of hearing, "enjoy the moment", "stop and smell the flowers". Yes I stop and smell the flowers as I breathe the lawn pesticides my neighbor's chemlawn company is spaying all over the place.

So how does one avoid the unhappiness of awareness? Can one decide to be a Homer?
I guess one solution is to indulge oneself, embrace your dark side, nurture your instincts rather than your brain (if possible) as Martin Prinze does in the Simpson's Movie. Martin is a brainiack who has been picked on all his life by bullies and finally one day he picks up a club and bangs the shit out of the bullies and then exclaims with great glee, "my, this feels so good." Another solution for some is to drink yourself silly. Then there's so called enlightenment where you know what's what but don't seem to mind. Loss, pain, suffering, dismemberment, all these juicy feelings apparently do not faze you. But enlightenment as I understand it is difficult to achieve. No wonder people turn to alcohol or other drugs.

Of course I have no solution, no great ideas, only questions but I do at times envy Homer his blissful ignorance.