Through the Looking Glass

Gumshoe invites all of you kind readers to accompany him on a short journey to revisit one of our favorite bedtime storybook characters; our beloved and ever-wandering and always curious “Alice” as in her “Wonderland” fame.

Remember how Alice continues her journey after Wonderland?  She meets an odd assortment of characters in “Through the Looking Glass” in the Lewis Carroll’s sequel to his renowned “Alice in Wonderland” tale. Alice decides to climb into her mirror (no rabbit chasing down a hole this time folks) and she enters a fantastical world where everything is “reversed” just like her mirror reflection, (seems just like the current state of affairs?)

Note:  Please see my earlier article “What—Me Worry?” where I relate to the backward Superman “Bizarro” as one of my personal heroes and role models.

Logic is backwards; running keeps you still; walking away gets you closer; chess pieces are alive and nursery characters are alive and you need a mirror in order read words that are backwards. One of these characters young Alice meets during her sojourn is none other than the quizzical anthropomorphic egg guy, “Humpty Dumpty”. He introduces her to “portmanteaus”.

Mr. Egghead pontificates:

When I use a word it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” Alice quickly challenges him by telling him that words cannot be used that way; he just as quickly retorts, “the question is who is master—that’s all.

May we all can wish him an “unbirthday”.

This French “suitcase of two equal halves” of linguist-blending and combined pronunciations of these words, “portmanteaus” is part of our everyday parlance.

Somehow combining breakfast and lunch to “brunch” seems appetizing but maybe it is just an excuse to eat more over a longer period of time, “Pass the mimosa and sausage please”.

How about smoke and fog combined to a lung’s breath (cough, cough) of SMOG.

Gumshoe can go on with “spork” (fork and spoon), “motel” (motor and hotel), “chortle” (chuckle and snort) along with Microsoft, Verizon, Amtrak, etcetera, etc., ad nauseam.

These “portmanteaus” are fun and mostly harmless in most aspects my gentle readers.

You kind folks already get the “word” picture.  Words can be combined into alternative meanings.  They matter since we use them to articulate our thoughts.

Did you ever consider and ponder how words coupled with other words (phrases or euphemisms per se) can manipulate our thoughts and ultimately our actions?

Remember what Mr. Humpty Dumpty told dear sweet innocent Alice, “The question is who is master—that’s all.”

If an entity, a political party or a government controls the “message”, it can do the “newspeak” thing from George Orwell’s totalitarian dystopia in “1984”.

“War is peace.  Freedom is slavery.  Ignorance is strength.”  Newspeak slogans for sure!

“Groupthink” at its best Mr. Winston Smith.  Big Brother is always watching.

What ultimately follows is the “Manchurian Candidate” automaton programming (Group Think) approach commonly known as brainwashing as Gumshoe surmises.

(Drink the kool-aide or get ready to get on board the Hailey’s Comet space cadets). Suicides are Us!

(Quick! Hide the Queen of Diamonds! — spoiler alert, that was the “trigger” card during a game of solitaire).

Today all of you astute and observant reader’s readily know that pornography is now termed as “adult entertainment”.

“Cuties” on Netflix is just “education“ against child exploitation.  Pedophiles are Us!

Abortion is merely a “choice” (not a murder) while the abortionist is a “health care provider” Not a murderer).

Adultery is “serial monogamy” and same-sex marriage is “equal” to traditional marriages.

(Hmmm? Adam and Steve with no Eve). Babies are us go bankrupt!

Finally, (as in “Final Exit”),  Euthanasia is “death with dignity” or MAiD (Medically Assistance in Dying).   (First, do no harm doc as  stated in that Greek Hippocratic thing)

The Devil delights in falsehoods and deceit as the “father of all lies” don’t’ cha know?

Gumshoe’s observations may be seen by some as harsh, rigid, judgmental, sexist, or just plain wrong to modern-day progressives (secularists).

So be it!  Guilty as charged.

Gumshoe ardently believes that we are all made in God’s image.  We are factory-program to go to our default setting to seek what is good, to seek what is beautiful, to seek what is true, and to reject all forms of evil.  Creation is our “looking glass” which helps us seek our Creator.

Maybe it is time to go into our own looking glasses and set things right on our own fantastical journeys. Alice just might be there to greet us?

Gumshoe’s mirror has been “fogged-up” in his past,  but Gumshoe can see clearly now (Hmm?  Thank you Johnny Nash wherever you are since the rain is gone).

Remember to always love the ones who love you and even try to love the ones who don’t.

Coram Deo