Kay:
Hey there, gang! It is September 3rd, and this is Episode 174. We have a really fun quote for you today, right out of Alice in Wonderland. And, Alice herself says, “You’re mad. Bonkers. Off your head. But I’ll tell you a secret. Some of the best people are.”
Shi:
Such a fun movie, and a great story! Alice is such a wonderful character, and the story overall is just a delightful, colorful depiction of somebody’s subconscious that tells a great tale. But, the kind of genius behind the madness of this quote here is just that: oftentimes, behind the madness is the genius!
Kay:
Well, many of us, I think, have heard the word “crazy,” or we’ve heard the word “mad,” or we’ve heard the word “bonkers,” as they would say, and we take that in a negative connotation. The worst thing you can say to a woman in a fight is, “Don’t be crazy.”…I wish you guys could see the look on Shila’s face right now, because it just completely proved my point!
Kay & Shi:
*(Laughter)*
Shi:
Or, maybe if you call me the B word- but that would just be a whole different story!
Kay:
That’d be another level! But see, that’s the thing…Many of us have this idea that to be crazy equals bad. So, we’ll have something happen in our lives that makes us feel a little off kilter that might make us feel like we’re crazy, or we’re mad, or something. And then, all of a sudden, many of us have a tendency to spiral out of control and then buy into that story of ourselves as “another crazy.”
Shi:
Yep. Just a quick societal note – I feel like this word gets thrown around all the time…
Kay:
Oh, “Things are just CRAZY right now!”
Shi:
Oh, “That’s crazy!”…I’m guilty of that for sure. Crazy is definitely part of my regular vernacular that I use quite often. I think that I could be more intentional with articulating my feelings that don’t involve calling something necessarily crazy. So, (accountability check there!), but the truth is all of us have thought to ourselves at some point, “Am I crazy?”
Kay:
Well, maybe that’s been a response to the voices that you hear talking in your head. Now, unless you are a part of the 5% of the population that does not hear this audible voice in your head, then you are like the rest of us and you probably have not just one voice that goes continuously narrating your life, but also, that second voice of your conscience. Then, there’s that voice that’s like, “Just eat the food. Just eat the food. Just go get the snacks. We love snacks. We love snacks.”
Shi:
…Commonly depicted as the little devil on your shoulder!
Kay:
Exactly! So, then there’s you in the middle, but everyone has these voices (other than that 5% that doesn’t hear them) going on in your head…That doesn’t mean that you’re crazy if maybe one of them gets extra loud, or you have to put a check on another, or you want to intentionally pay attention to the still, small voice instead of the ever narrating constant sound of your brain.
Shi:
Well, this quote helps us see that some of the best people are! So, maybe that means you can own what others are calling “crazy.” Because, maybe they’re just not understanding, or they’re not seeing the vision, and you don’t have to take being called crazy as something that connotes that you’re not worthy, or that you don’t have something to contribute. People often call innovators, entrepreneurs, and world changers, “crazy” at first. Like, SO many have been! Anytime you see progress happening in history, it gets fought hard against, and people call it crazy, and they call it mad, and they call it bonkers, and they say it’s off its head. And, that’s exactly what it is – because it has to come off of its head so that it can move forward. But, that’s uncomfortable for many people, and so, many people will call that crazy.
Kay:
Way back in the day, they actually tried to “fix” gay people.
Shi:
Gay conversion therapy’s still around.
Kay:
I think it just got made illegal.
Shi:
In the world, it’s definitely still around…
Kay:
Now, THAT’S crazy! People thought that being gay was a psychological defect in people. People thought the suffragettes were “crazy” and not just in the, “Oh, those crazy ladies out there,” but in physically institutionalizing women because they thought they were so “crazy” to want to have a voice in American politics. So, the innovators – like Shila said – the entrepreneurs – these are the people who are called crazy throughout life. But, there’s a full range of things that can make somebody go into an unfortunate mental illness spiral. So, there’s definitely a difference between having a mental illness and having a little bit of crazy, I guess, in the traditional sense. And, recognizing and honoring the places in your life where that “crazy” exists – that bonkers, off your head – might be worth a little bit more exploration than you’re giving it credit for!
Shi:
All right! So, we’re going to remind you of the quote and then you’ll get your quest! That quote today is from Alice in Alice in Wonderland, who says, “You’re mad, bonkers off your head, but I’ll tell you a secret. Some of the best people are.” So, today’s quest is a mad creativity quest! Do something creative that might feel “mad” to you. Would it be crazy to spend an hour painting? Would someone think you’re mad because you’re dancing to a song you like in the middle of the grocery store?
Kay:
Probably!
Shi:
You are already mad, so let’s get out there! Are you ready?
Kay & Shi:
Let’s quest!
