And if I may be so bold, I would suggest that there’s a difference between ignorance and malicious intent. I know it’s hard to decipher between the two in these modern times because the line gets blurred by every opinion clanging around the internet looking for a like magnet. The solution, I think, is not to fear our ignorance, but to eliminate our capacity for malicious intent. That’s the area we can and should continuously re-examine. This is what it means to be anti-bigotry - it’s an active verb.
Conversely, the fear of ignorance is something we should use as the fire that burns a curious desire for rightness. Don’t fear the unfamiliar territory in your conversations - they’re wonderful opportunities to declare your ignorance and ask your partner for clarification. And if you have the privilege of being more informed in your communications, try not to see the act of sharing your knowledge as burdensome; you have a rare chance to make the ignorance of this world go away. I know that these modern times make such processes seem daunting and unfamiliar, but I guarantee they lead us to moments of shared growth and empathy. In the words of the 20th Century writer/cartoonist James Thurber, “It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.”