Curiouser and Curiouser
What's it All About, Madge-y?
“The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hearing this; but all he said was, `Why is a raven like a writing-desk?'
`Come, we shall have some fun now!' thought Alice. `I'm glad they've begun asking riddles.--I believe I can guess that,' she added aloud.
`Do you mean that you think you can find out the answer to it?' said the March Hare.
`Exactly so,' said Alice.
`Then you should say what you mean,' the March Hare went on.
`I do,' Alice hastily replied; `at least--at least I mean what I say--that's the same thing, you know.'
`Not the same thing a bit!' said the Hatter.”
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
Hello, Friend,
It’s FriYAY! Kinda. In my previously envisioned schedule of Substack posting ‘FriYAY!’ was part of the plan. Truth told, I’m much more of a fly by the seat of my panties kind of a gal. Planning and structure might result in more success in my life in general, but I can’t say I’ll ever know for sure. Beyond the occasional To Do List or vague inclinations towards some semblance of regimentation, my motus operandi is less map driven and more intrepid explorer winds their way through the wilderness.
Grabs pith helmet and trusty scythe and…
It’s hard to say what my fingers will tap into the keyboard on any given day. I usually have a seed of something rumbling around in my gray matter, driven by my insatiable curiosity, and it unfolds from there. I want to understand things, and in that relentless drive to understand, I dig into them. I’m not a political writer, per se. Yet, over the many years and iterations of internet writings, I have written more than my fair share of political posts driven by my aforementioned curiosity. Politics are rife with conundrums that elicit all manner of questions.
Why are things the way they are?
What is really happening that we’re not seeing?
How hard is it to figure that out?
“Curiouser and curiouser!” Cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English).”
Alices Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
The thing that continues to surprise me is how easy it is to find the clues that lead to further clarity with minimal effort. The information is almost always out there. It isn’t so much a matter of ‘doing your research’ by passively watching videos on YouTube or TikTok as it is consciously seeking trustworthy sources and cross checking their claims. It always starts with a feeling I get (that I cannot describe) that things are not what they seem. Then I’m compelled to unravel the mystery.
Mainstream media and social media are rife with conspiracy theories, half-truths, and lies. This is by design. The modern brain has been rewired to shorten our attention span; this allows us to more easily accept these untrue things as truths. Things are often spun to elicit more extreme reactions, information bias is rampant and increasing exponentially as of late.
I don’t need things to align with my world view, my world view is flexible.
I have no problem admitting when I am wrong.
Which is never.
But were I wrong, I’d be the first to admit it.
Ha ha! I am pulling your chain. I only know what I know, and I also know that I don’t know much in the grand cosmic scheme of it all.
Though my gut is always right when it senses something is not what it seems.
“It was all very well to say "Drink me," but the wise little Alice was not going to do that in a hurry. "No, I'll look first," she said, "and see whether it's marked 'poison' or not"; for she had read several nice little stories about children who got burnt, and eaten up by wild beasts, and other unpleasant things, all because they would not remember the simple rules their friends had taught them: such as, that a red-hot poker will burn you if you hold it too long; and that, if you cut your finger very deeply with a knife, it usually bleeds; and she had never forgotten that, if you drink much from a bottle marked "poison," it is almost certain to disagree with you, sooner or later.”
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
How much we don’t know and will never know is the trickiest part of it all. The US government has done some pretty shady shit over the years and continues to do so. There is so much that happens behind closed doors in secret rooms between questionable people with disturbing agendas who use money and influence to pull levers and hold strings. Citizens United really screwed us, as have gerrymandering, voter suppression, the electoral college, and blatant rule breaking resulting in the corruption of our high court and other branches of our government. The point I am belaboring is this, I will never know the whole truth and I accept that. I will find threads of truths that can be followed to other threads of truths that may be tugged upon to reveal bigger fragments yet will never unfold the whole cloth.
“Oh dear! I'd nearly forgotten that I've got to grow up again! Let me see--how is it to be managed? I suppose I ought to eat or drink something or other; but the great question is, what?”
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
And now for the long-suffering point of this essay…this Substack is, much like this writer, a work in progress. I am a curious human with a lot of thoughts and feelings and questions and writing helps me cut through the fog. I’m writing about politics in this moment with more frequency because it is a pivotal moment and maybe this little message in a bottle will reach enough shores to have impact. I’m not here to scare you, I’m here to inform you. I am willing to go down the rabbit hole now and again as a service to my fellow humans. I will also write about various other things that intrigue me and make absurd videos about questionable topics and share photos of my rag tag pack of doggos and there will be art. I’ve been on an art hiatus since before the election, but it will be necessary to get back to that practice if I’m going to stay sane in the chaos that looms.
No worries if this isn’t your cup of tea. If it is and you enjoy my writings, feel free to share! I love hearing from you, so don’t be afraid to comment. I do my best to respond, and I love seeing conversations unfold here. Your taking time out of your busy life to read my ramblings means everything to me.
Thank you.
Here’s to staying curious and to stretching ever closer to the truth, together.
You pose a very curious truth...what's it all about? I too have that question and where is the USA headed with EM pulling the strings??