Unexplained and possibly irrelevant ignorance.

Listed among the things I am amazed I did not know. From Greg Abbott: My Success Despite Paralysis Is a 'Testament' to the 'Glory of God' by Tyler O'Neil.

Greg Abbott is Governor of Texas. No particular reason why I should know much about him other than that he is governor of a major state. However, in one capacity or another (he was earlier Texas Attorney General), he has been on the periphery of national news for at least a dozen years or more.

And I never knew he was wheelchair bound. On the one hand it is a testament to a perhaps shared consensus that his condition should not define him. On the other hand, what an accomplishment to go unacknowledged.

There are a couple of other instances where I have been unaware of a politician and a related handicap. David Paterson, Governor of New York for a couple of years after Spitzer's resignation, was on my news radar screen for a year or two before I became aware of his blindness.

However, the longest duration of personal ignorance was in regard to Charles Krauthammer. I had been reading occasional Krauthammer columns for easily a decade or two and only became aware of the fact that he was wheelchair-bound a little before his passing.

What is the origin of these patches of unawareness. I would be inclined to believe that it might be due to my print over TV orientation. It has been decades since I have watched TV news. But even that is sort of an inadequate explanation. I know I have seen Krauthammer a few times over the years in TV discussions. But always seated at a table.

It is a puzzle to me. A puzzle that I should be unaware. A puzzle that I can't even adequately explain to myself why that unawareness should even be relevant.

I suspect that it has to do with missing recognition. For anyone to overcome a major setback is admirable. Perhaps it is that I feel bad not having extended in my own mind the recognition and respect that they deserve.