Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

In his topsy-turvy tale, “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,” Lewis Carroll explores the underside of life in the chaos of Wonderland, where "everything's got a moral if only you can find it." Adults almost inevitably find that Wonderland is like life. The comically absurd situations give us a chance to laugh, which we must all do at times or die of despair.

When Alice follows the White Rabbit down the rabbit hole, she is plunged into a place where nothing, including language, works in a familiar way. Even the traditional dimensions of orderly time and space are nowhere to be found. Desperately reciting memorized lessons, she tries to make sense of the present chaos in terms of the stable past. When Alice can no longer count on her beliefs to make sense, she first loses her security and then her identity, asking throughout her adventures, "but then ... who am I?”

Like Alice, as we face our own disorganized world, we're tempted to escape back into the reassuring innocence of childhood. Choosing to act unhampered by conventional wisdom gives us greater freedom. Still, that freedom is hard to hold onto. We have to trust ourselves even when everyone else seems to agree that we don't know what we're doing.

There are times when your freedom depends on believing in yourself, no matter what else no matter what anyone else thinks. 

Sheldon Kopp in “Blues Ain't Nothing But A Good Soul Feeling Bad” - November 6

Dick Henthorn
4 Oct 2019

Being Spontaneous

Backyard photo by Mr. Dickie

Being spontaneous means being present in the moment. It means accepting the chaos of life and not being afraid of it. It means knowing that behind the chaos is an orderliness that we aren't in charge of and we can't control. It means letting go and living now.
(Perry Tilleraas, The Color Of Light, 24 November)
19 May 2015

Truth

What do you dislike about many politicians, bureaucrats, big-business or big-labor executives, fast-talking salesmen and so on? The fact that they appear to be dishonest, and that truth is so very unimportant to them in their regular dealings with the public. When an institution comes to the point where all truth has been abandoned, then chaos is the inevitable result. Our social structure, as well as our individuals, need truth in order to survive.
(Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, The Sky's The Limit, p. 309)
30 December 2013

Desire of Knowing

Leave off that excessive desire of knowing; therein is found much distraction. There are many things the knowledge of which is of little or no profit to the soul. (Thomas a' Kempis, in One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 20 July)

Authority also preserves us from danger.  Without proper authority, the two alternatives are chaos (no one in charge) or oppression (a despot in charge).
(Cloud & Townsend, Boundaries Face To Face, p. 255)

I trust myself to participate in my life.  I am connected to the source of all energy and healing power.
(Perry Tilleraas, The Color Of Light, 7 December)

Guard against self-justification and self-righteousness.  Be aware how easy it is to make excuses and to blame your misfortunes on others.
(after One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 19 June)

The good we do during our lives endures long after us.  Indeed, we may never be aware of our greatest contributions.
(Daily Guideposts - 2012, 19 June)

Do what you can with what you have, where you are.
(Theodore Roosevelt in Night Light by Amy E. Dean, 3 November)

Our action or response should be appropriate to the situation.
(Harry & Emily Griffith, This Love We Share, 21 June)
23 December 2013

Good & Bad Leaders

• Attitudes - When good leaders rule, people rejoice; when the wicked reign, people groan.
• Stability - When moral leaders rule, they establish justice; compromising leaders tear things down.
• Compassion - Good leaders express concern for the poor; bad leaders reflect no compassion for anyone.
• Honesty - When leaders pay attention to lies, their staff begins to esteem the same deceptions.
• Vision - Solid vision keeps everyone on track; chaos reigns whenever the vision lapses.

(John C. Maxwell - Leadership, 2 November)
20 December 2013

Chaos

When the country is in chaos everybody has a plan to fix it -
But it takes a leader of real understanding to straighten things out.
(Proverbs 28:12 (The Message) in Leadership by John C. Maxwell, 4 July)
3 November 2013

Leadership

Without leadership, we would have chaos. (Warren W. Wiersbe, Chapter-By-Chapter Bible Commentary, p. 95)
29/Apr/2010 8:51