The Spark of Madness

“We’re all mad here” – Cheshire Cat, Alice in Wonderland

Of all the genus characters of literary fiction, I think I fancy the Cheshire Cat most. There is just something about that toothy smile that both hides and reveals the apotheosis of all madness. And yet, I do not speak of a crazy that brings destruction, nor a foolish ranting of the insane. I’m talking about a deeper magic here; something that is core into the creation of those who have been granted it. Something that can only be described as a gift, or a purpose or a calling. Something that, instead of driving the bearing into a frenzy of chaos, enables them to turn chaos into a brilliantly crafted adventure.

Have you known people that can do that?

They’re simply mad.

And what a beautiful thing that is!

So back to my hero, the Cat. Tangent ahead… why is it always a cat that is depicted as having this brilliant madness? Dogs are loving, loyal and obedient; so transparent. But cats always seem to have secrets to keep, don’t they? They seem to be constantly altering situations to follow some unseen pattern or plan and are content to keep that secret plan close to the vest. That, in itself, is madness. But I digress… back to the subject.

Here is my favorite part of Alice in Wonderland as we find Alice wandering lost in a land she simply doesn’t yet understand. She runs into the Cat with a oversized smile and stops to ask of it directions and advice. She gets both. She gets neither.

`Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?’

`That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,’ said the Cat.

`I don’t much care where–‘ said Alice.

`Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,’ said the Cat.

`–so long as I get SOMEWHERE,’ Alice added as an explanation.

`Oh, you’re sure to do that,’ said the Cat, `if you only walk long enough.’

Alice felt that this could not be denied…

Do you see both the wisdom, the frustration and the madness in there? And yet, she wasn’t abandoned by the character, nor was she being mocked. She was just tapping into something elemental. She was tapping into the Cat’s spark of madness, and it would prove to work with her experience to forever change her for the better.

Have you met these people? The ones with this spark of madness? Yes, yes, we all have a bit of it, but in some there is a deep vein of it like gold in a mountain’s core. Often you can only see bits and traces of it, but be assured that if it was mined, you would be following it into their very heart. My whole life I have been in search of those who have this, and enamored by the wonder of them. I am fully aware that it is indeed a gift given only by a creator God.

And like any gift, it can be abused.

And like any gift, it can be corrupted.

And like any gift, placed in the nail scared hands of a Messiah, it can ignite from a mere spark to a blazing glory!

I’ve seen it and I wipe tears from my eyes simply thinking about the experiences I’ve had with them. I’m not just talking about those whose talents blow us all away with their singing, or their financial genius or their oratory skills. Those are different skills. Those are wonderful, yes no denying. But they’re simply not as awe inspiring to me as those with the spark of madness. Because, like the Cheshire Cat, their brilliance is not so easily spotted. It’s a brilliance hidden behind a absolutely insane smile.

These are the people who you find have prepared a scavenger hunt randomly for their friends with no previous warning.

They are the people who you talk to in a coffeeshop who unexpectedly give you insights into your life that leave your heart floating and your head spinning.

They are the people who make original witty comments on Facebook that hours later you are still thinking about because of their sheer brilliance.

It’s the banter of the Gilmore Girls that you race to keep up with.

It’s those who drive so far off the prearranged course simply to see a roadside oddity that they know you’ll love.

It’s those who hear your absolutely crazy idea, only to have their eyes light up and say, “Yes, let’s do that! And you know what we can do to make it even crazier…?”

You have just mined into a vein of gold here. Get out your pick-axe. Get out your shovel. This is going to take you into their very heart. Don’t be afraid… actually, DO be a little afraid because these people are absolutely bonkers. But what a ride it shall be!

Here’s the deal… we are all given a spark of madness. That is our Creator’s sense of humor and sense of beauty in creation. But find these people and cherish these people because they are the ones that will bring it out in you, and help you find your own buried brilliance; brilliance that you didn’t even know you had. For these people will come silently, disrupt your grey, dull day and proceed to spark an ember into a bonfire. Then they will simply disappear into the setting leaving nothing behind except their maddening, toothy smile.

And trust me, that smile will forever be in your heart.

So what that you will never be the same. You will finally be ok with the fact that we’re all mad here. You will be forever changed by their wild wisdom, their lovely lunacy and their inspiring insanity. In fact, you’ll now see some of that in yourself and you’ll be a different person than you were yesterday before you met them. Don’t stress it. Just, when you tell the story, take one last piece of advice from Alice…

“I could tell you my adventures—beginning from this morning,” said Alice a little timidly; “but it’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.” ― Alice, Alice in Wonderland