When The World Seems Upside Down
Of Truth, Ethics, and Decency.
I have felt like Alice in Wonderland on many of my days in India.
Down through the rabbit hole, and landing in a world where a mixed past of good and bad has been turned into a ledger of grievances and grudges; where one side is always right, and the other side always wrong.
Where ideology often overshadows individual thought, where ethical boundaries shift depending on convenience, and where winning sometimes takes precedence over integrity; where winners turn condescension into an art form; where media narratives are shaped by digital trends and audience engagement, sometimes at the cost of impartiality.
Where free speech exists only as long as it does not offend sensibilities. Where someone being offended is always a click away. Where many feel entitled and entitlements govern actions.
Where digital tools are wielded with considerable malice; and where some broadcast media prioritize opinions over facts, and where debates often value spectacle over substance. Where outrage is magnified in a mad scramble for ratings.
This month, I feel like the world has caught up to my Alice in Wonderland moment.
Will future humans look back on this time and wonder: “What were they thinking?”
Over here, a deep-seated fear of authority shapes a majority of the culture. Fear of teachers at school. Fear of bosses who can destroy your livelihood. Fear of social ostracism. Fear of familial objections, of failing to meet expectations. Fear of not falling in with peer groups. Fear of not having enough access to resources in a crowded population. Fear of speaking your truth.
Fears that force compliance to written and unwritten rules, however suspect. Fears that sustain a system of quid pro quos.
Systems that wear down the honest, burden the brave, and exact a high cost on the fearless.
When we examine societies and cultures through the lens of progress, should we ask: Do certain behaviors help humans thrive, not just survive?
On my Alice in Wonderland journey, I wonder: Does truth matter in the modern age?
Despite India’s national motto, ‘Truth triumphs,’ exaggeration and outright lying—both minor and major—are deeply woven into society, forcing many to be a human lie detector.
Now, it appears that the world needs to acquire this skill too.
If there are no consequences to lying, why care if others are lying?
If deception is rewarded, does integrity matter?
Or is it merely an old-fashioned virtue, out of place in a world where truth is decided in 140 characters?
What if an upside down world is the new standard?
Perhaps, like Alice, we just need a cup of tea with the Mad Hatter to make sense of it all, and decide which beliefs of this strange world we are willing to accept.
For even in the upside-down world, there are moments of kindness, laughter, and wonder.
Moments to be curious. To learn. To understand. To stay true to one’s values.
Help when and where we can. Do no harm when we cannot.
A shared journey regardless of our differences.
Unshakeable truths that hold in our daily lives.
The grass grows, the sun shines, and the flower blooms.
Just today, I found that we had a sprout of green chilies in the garden, an unexpected gift.
Isn’t nature a wonderful giver without needing thanks—exuding a quiet, powerful kind of generosity?
Maybe that's the real magic that keeps us all going.
Jayshree,
Down the rabbit hole, indeed. Your sentiments are very well crafted—a great piece of writing. Because Substack is international, most would agree that we could replace the word India with the name of any country in the world. Let's do that. I challenge your readers to insert your country with India in the following sentence Jayshree wrote. "I have felt like Alice in Wonderland on many of my days in India." How does it sound?
Now, go one step further and change the generation implied by "of my days."
Joel
Ah, the human condition. Don't let it get you down. Best Rx is to do good works, eat well exercise and rest. You are doing good work.