Is this the Rabbit Hole or CNN?
“I am Not Crazy; My Reality is Just Different From Yours…” Alice in Wonderland
To say the world is getting curiouser and curiouser is an understatement of gargantuan proportions.
As a child I was obsessed with certain stories. Oh sure the usuals come to mind, Cinderella, (yep, I bought into that absurdity too) Snow White, Treasure Island, etc. etc. However, none seemed to monopolize my attention like two favorites, The Wizard of Oz and especially Alice in Wonderland.
I dreamed of entering the Emerald City and watching the horses of a different color parade by and skipping through a field of poppies with the magnificent Emerald City in the distance, but there was always something about Alice.
She caught my attention most and when young I thought it was perhaps because of the Cheshire Cat, the epitome of coolness or the Mad Hatter always hurrying to get somewhere, but always late. We never did find out where he was going of course or why he couldn’t find a way to be on time.
Now that I’m older I realize the reason for my obsession with Alice…the psychic in me knew that someday I would live in her world. And now I do.
Or as Alice says, “When I used to read fairy tales, I fancied that kind of thing never happened, and now here I am in the middle of one.”
So many credit Jules Verne or H.G. Wells for their amazing insights and of course they were amazing futurists, but Lewis Carroll never received such accolades.
Carroll not only satirized the absurdity of life, he actually predicted how incredibly far it would go in the future.
And as an American I can only say that the Cheshire Cat’s words hound me constantly…”We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad. You must be or you wouldn’t have come here.”
Talk about calling it like it is!
As I look around at the total absurdity of this country and what is allowed and condoned in the upside down reality our politicians have created, I wonder why it feels so much more Wonderlandesque here in the United States?
After all isn’t Europe also mad as well? I won’t even go into the Middle East or China except to point out we have surpassed them by miles.
So why does it feel like I am living deep inside of that proverbial rabbit hole and can’t find a way out?
It seems every time I check in on the outside world I am tempted to quote an Alice character and there is one that always suits the moment. Like when Alice said to the mad hatter, I don’t think” and he interrupted her saying, “then you shouldn’t talk.” I wonder why this wisdom is so seldom acted upon today. And why politicians don’t adhere to this sage advice.
According to Alice, “it would be so nice if something made sense for a change.” No duh, I think that every minute lately. But I digress. I was asking why the insanity seems so much greater here in America.
I believe it’s simply because so much more was expected of us.
We always knew China was, well China and madness seemed to suit them. The Middle East has always been chaos personified, but the U.S. we were supposed to be the beacon. We were the guys in the white hats that rode in to save the town, and yes I know I use too many cowboy references but my late brother loved westerns so I must to keep his memory alive.
Now it seems that we have not only caught up with the insanity of the world, we have far surpassed it. I’m a believer in American Exceptionalism, but this is really going too far.
To be great at being crazy is nothing to hang your hat on. We led the world in innovation, invention and let’s not forget the development of the Oreo Cookie. Belgium may make the best chocolate, but America has a theme park with Hershey Kisses for lampposts.
Talk about something of which to be proud.
America fancied itself a place with no limitations, a place where imagination ruled and was supported and admired. Now newscasters publically malign women and spout their stupid and egregious opinions.
Are we now supposed to support crazy because it’s mainstream? News people, remember the “I don’t think” quote before you speak, please.
What turned us into Wonderland?
It’s just too easy to understand the whole Queen of Hearts comparison with Congress, but is that even enough of an excuse for the unending madness of our you-should-excuse-the-expression leaders?
Is the planet now a gigantic rabbit hole we’ve all fallen through?
Did COVID actually create some sort of mass hypnotic state and we don’t even realize we’re in an upside-down world?
In this red, white and blue wonderland, children carry guns and use them, teenage mobs take over the streets attacking innocent passersby, criminals beat and kill victims and receive slaps on the wrist, our enemies run wild with no deterrents and on and on it goes as we fall further and further down the hole at a dizzying pace.
“For if one drinks much from a bottle marked poison, it’s almost certain to disagree with one sooner or later.” Wise words from Alice, yet no one seems to be listening.
I keep waiting for someone to echo the Queen of Hearts and yell “Someone’s head will role for this.” It’s as though Lewis Carroll were writing about today. And yes of course when you’re living in a world in any given time one wonders if it’s all madness. However in these days one need not wonder. It is all madness.
Or is it merely as the Cheshire Cat says, “ I am not crazy; my reality is just different from yours.” Or is it as he tells Alice, “If you don’t know where you are going any road can take you there.”
As I look around at the craziness I must wonder, what road are we truly taking and where is it taking us?
It truly amazes me that Lewis Carroll writing so many years ago has hit the nail on the head here when he writes about the current reality in which we all exist.
I think the only way to sum up my life is with a quote from the Cheshire Cat, “how queer everything is today! And yesterday things went on just as usual. I wonder if I’ve been changed in the night? Let me think: was I the same when I got up this morning?”
For as the little furry guy also says, “Never let anyone drive you crazy; it is nearby anyway and the walk is good for you.”
Easy Peasey Seafood Pasta Slaw
1 package Shredded cabbage (may use the pre-shredded packages in grocery store)
2 cups Rotini pasta cooked (colored or plain, but I use the colored)
2 cups cooked cut in half Shrimp
2 cups either real or fake crabmeat
Salt and pepper
Add all together and toss with mayo dressing
My mother-in-law’s Mayonnaise dressing
1 cup of mayo
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 heaping tablespoon of sugar (artificial sweeteners may be used here instead, but will have to be sweetened to your particular tastes)
Mix together all and toss into slaw mixture. If you like it with more dressing just double the recipe. You may use any protein you have available.
Add soup or fruit or both and it’s a great meal.
If there are any questions about the recipe or cooking in general I can answer for you, please contact me at my blog at normazager.com. Happy Eating!
NormaZager.com 