The simplest way we can each take a stand against ignorance is to support nonpolitical organizations whose purpose is the expansion of human knowledge.

For example, you can subscribe to the National Geographic or Smithsonian Magazine or other similar publication (and, of course, read the magazines each month when they arrive). By doing so, you support research and historical preservation and you also have a great opportunity to learn new things.

Get a membership to a local museum or gallery. And visit it often enough to make your membership worth while. You may think you’ve seen the same old exhibits enough already, but you might surprise yourself by looking carefully at what you’d always walked past before–and thus learn something you never knew before.

Join the “Friends” organization at your local public library. If you haven’t been in a library lately you will be amazed at what’s available there these days. And the Friends always get special access and special goodies.

When it comes time to buy gifts for your friends and family, shop from the catalogs put out by those nonpolitical, knowledge-expanding organizations.  Or from places like the Discovery Store, or the Wireless or Signals catalogs, which have a great selection of shows from PBS along with their regular gift items.

If you already have a membership to one or more organizations like that, consider upping your annual donation to the next level. I consider the amount I spend on my Smithsonian Contributing Membership every year to be money well spent, even though it’s been 20 years since I’ve actually been in Washington, DC.

It’s a simple step. You don’t even have to leave home to do it, if that’s your choice. But it says you want to push back the barriers of ignorance in whatever small way you can.

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