6 Amazing Life Lessons that We Can Learn From Alice in Wonderland

150 years after it was published, Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland' remains universally admired for its ability to speak to both young and adult readers through its flamboyant language and tableaux of brilliantly eccentric characters. This timeless classic remains one of the most quoted books ever. Here are six reasons why this book should also find place in the philosophy section of all libraries. 

1.    “It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.”

So often people are burdened by mistakes they have made in the past. Holding on to your past is never going to serve your future. By choosing to defend what we believed in or said years ago is a sure way to mess up the present. We can choose to learn from our mistakes, our struggles, and every experience we’ve been through, and acknowledge to ourselves and others that what we once believed in may have changed. If we develop the courage to understand that like everything, our position, our thoughts can change, and we can be different today than we were yesterday, and we can be a different person tomorrow too, our lives would suddenly be less complicated. Whether you choose to continue being the person you were yesterday or working to be a better person tomorrow is entirely in your hands. I know, that some people may see this as being inconsistent, but in a constantly changing world, I wonder about the virtue of being perpetually consistent.

2.    “It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that.” 

Technology today is demanding everything and everyone to move at lightning speed just to stay relevant. It is needless to say that keeping up the pace is critical for businesses. It is apparent that businesses that are more technologically-savvy and adopt the latest digital business trends have an upper hand. If you are going the same speed as you were before you would merely keep up, but in order to win you must sprint. COVID threw unanticipated challenges at us and those who weren't agile enough to respond at lightening speed have perished. Jack Welch, Chairman and CEO of General Electric said: “If the rate of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change on the inside, the end is near.” Even as individuals it can be a very important life lesson for us: evolve or expire. To survive day after day we have to run faster and harder than before. We have to evolve with the environment around us or we risk falling behind.

Image courtesy Haley-Lawrence at Unsplash

3.    “You’re entirely bonkers. But I’ll tell you a secret. All the best people are.” 

The best people in the world are more often different, the most interesting, and inspiring people. It's those people who dare to be different and don't care much for others’ judgement or try to fit in. In your efforts to be “normal”, are you depriving the more creative, “mad” part of yourself. Think about this-Why would you want to constrain yourself to the mediocrity by subjecting yourself to others’ opinions and expectations when you can set yourself free in your own way. 

4.    “If everybody minded their own business, the world would go around a great deal faster than it does.”

How much time do we spend chasing others, keeping tabs on what people do (social media addiction today, office gossip yesterday or trying to be cool in school a day earlier ), meddling in other people's affairs when we shouldn't? If we all minded our own business, this world would become much less chaotic. This memorable line by Carroll is very much relevant in today's world where virtual, social media lives play a much important role than real lives. It ridicules the double life that many people lead in their home and in public. 

5.    “Hold your tongue!” said the Queen, turning purple. “I wo'n’t!” said Alice.

Stand up for yourself. In ‘Alice in Wonderland’, The Red Queen is a quintessential bully who tries to cover up her own insecurities by seizing every opportunity to torment the powerless. It is good to try to maintain peace around you, which would sometimes mean taking crap from people. It is equally if not more important to understand that you need to hold your grounds when the situation demands it. Don’t be swayed by someone superior or more powerful than you. Let your beliefs be your guide (while remembering that you are allowed to change them). The lesson is to not to let aggressive people get you down. They only have as much power as you give them!

6.    “Curiouser and curiouser!”

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing… Never lose a holy curiosity.”  — Albert Einstein

Both Einstein’s words and Alice’s story tell you just how important curiosity and imagination are. Alice is not just an adventurer but also a dreamer. She doesn’t bother herself with the ordinary but instead lives her life exploring the impossible. This quality of being “curiousier and curiouser” is what sets apart geniuses from the crowd. Curious people always ask questions and are in search for answers. Their minds are always active and hence, much resilient and stronger. Being curious opens your eyes to see new worlds and possibilities which are usually not visible. They will remain concealed from the more obscure and unimaginative minds. So, always be open to learn, unlearn, and relearn. Accepting the world as it is without digging any deeper would certainly make you lose the ‘holy curiosity’.