According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, muchness means "the quality or state of being in great quantity, extent, or degree." One of the realities of life is that we are not always in a perpetual state of muchness, but rather we experience periods of muchness and lack at different times while on our individual journeys. The term muchness was famously spoken in Lewis Carroll’s story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by the Mad Hatter. He said to Alice, "You used to be much more...muchier. you've lost your muchness."
What he was pointing out was that in the time since he had last seen her, something had changed. The inference I take away from this encounter is that in the time since Alice’s last visit, she had grown up and, in the process, forgotten who she really is. And isn’t this a challenge we all face? As children, we possess a sense of wonder and awe about life. We boldly do and try things, and metaphorically, often barefoot as we do. Crashing through the days with reckless abandon as if each one might be our last. Our naivety is our strength. Our imagination, our sword.
Sadly, we all must grow older. It’s part of the Circle of Life. But in doing so, we need to consider the words of the Mad Hatter. Life with all of its responsibilities, challenges, and misdirection can have a corrosive effect on our essence. When we experience confusion around life events like birth or death, when we are unhappy and want a new direction in life (even if we don’t yet know what that is) or we have found ourselves in a place we never imagined we would be, it is easy to lose our own muchness.
Here is the good news for us all. Do not despair if for a reason you have lost some of your muchness. This I believe is entirely normal. Remember that you can find it again at some point. Instead of thinking about all the negative things that have happened lately, you have to remember that these bad things do not define who you are; you do. Your thoughts create energy: which in turn creates your reality. Take solace in these words from Alice:
"Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." -Alice
Herein lies the secret. It is in dreaming of the unimaginable that we can link ourselves back to the muchness of our childhood. As the famous quote from Proverbs says… “Where there is no vision, the people perish” That could also be stated, “where you have no vision, you perish”. Do not be afraid to maintain the awe and wonder that you celebrated as a child. Though some may find such behavior silly in the adult world, pay no attention to that. As the Cheshire Cat reminded us in this same story, “we are all mad here”. Its OK if for a spell you are lost, eventually the destination will present itself. Let the following be said of you, if need be:
"You're mad. Bonkers. Off your head... But I'll tell you a secret... All of the best people are."
*A special thanks goes out to a dear friend who in a recent conversation introduced me to the concept of “muchness” , which I in turn used as inspiration for this blog.
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