How to Live in the Upside-Down World | Healthy Aging Series: S11 E8
My first exposure to the phrase “Upside-Down World” was from the series ‘Stranger Things.’ The “Upside-Down World” in that series was a world of monsters and life-threatening phenomenon that were pretty damn scary.
What is the “Upside-Down World?” Here’s an internet definition:
An “Upside-Down World” refers to a situation where the normal order of things is completely reversed, meaning what is typically considered “top” is now “bottom” and vice versa, often used figuratively to describe a chaotic or confusing situation where societal norms or expectations are completely disrupted.
We Live in the Land of Monsters
I want you to stop and think for a moment about that definition. I believe that the world that we live in is the “Upside-Down World.” I believe that the political, religious, medical/pharmaceutical, and digital media platforms have been completely compromised and corrupted by money.
Our political system at the state and federal levels has been corrupted by Political Action Committees and lobbyists.
Our medical institutions and pharmaceutical companies have been corrupted by profit.
The religious community is chasing after the buck more now than it has ever done in my lifetime. It has little in common with the Apocalyptic Prophet that we know as Jesus.
And, our media and Internet platforms are all about clicks, likes, and subscribers.
Stop for a second and look around at the world we’re living in. It is truly the “Upside-Down World.” It is likely that you have been so indoctrinated, and habituated to it, that you don’t recognize monsters when you see them.
So, how is one to live in the Upside-Down World?
The Hanged Man as our Example
It’s interesting that in my studies in Tarot there is one card that represents the need to change your perspective on the world and it is the Hanged Man card. Stop and Google that card for just a second and you will see a man, voluntarily hanging by one foot. If you’re unfamiliar with the Tarot deck, there are 22 trump cards that form three rows (minus the Fool (0) card). The first row represents the external-world part of our journey, the second row involves the inner-world part of our journey, and the third line represents the numinous-world part of our journey.
The Hanged Man card is on the second line (inner-world). The second line is our instructions for living in the “Upside-Down World.” The message of the Hanged Man card is this: You are living in the “Upside-Down World” and if you are going to make it to the “World Card (22)” which represents wisdom and maturity, you need to change how you see the world.
Wheel of Fortune
One of the cards in the second “inner-world” line, that represents “Upside-Down World” living is the Wheel of Fortune. This Wheel of Fortune illustrates fortune and misfortune as a part of life, and the point is that you have absolutely no control over either. The message of this card is: The only way of making it in a world of monsters is to realize that you have absolutely, in most cases, no control over those monsters.
Stoicism and the “Upside-Down World”
There is a Stoic principle that is described as Dichotomy of Control.
The Stoics lived in a world full of monsters (Nero), and they believed that it was possible to find tranquility in the Upside-Down World. Their approach to doing this was understanding what has been called, in our modern world, Dichotomy of Control, and more recently Trichotomy of Control.
In their scheme of understanding the world and life, the Stoics believed that you could categorize life and life events in three separate categories.
1. There are things that we have no control over,
2. There are things that we have some control, but not complete control over, and
3. There are things that we have complete control over.
What’s the point of this schematic for understanding life. As I have lived in the “Upside-Down World” these past years, I have discovered that most of my frustration comes when I fail to understand that first concept. It reminds me that there are things that I have no control over.
As a therapist, I have worked with people with depression, anxiety, and frustration because they are fixated on changing the things that they have no control over. I have attended many AA and Al-Anon meetings as support to myself and a family member. One of the slogans that I learned was:
You can’t control people, places and things.
Understanding what I can control and what I cannot control, and then living my life based on that understanding, is the key to living in the “Upside-Down World.”
Goals, Values, and Opinions
What are some of the things that we can control? Well, we have control over our goals, our values, and our opinions.
Think about that. Most of those reside in our psyche and our inner being.
That’s not to say that we have control over whether we meet those goals. So we learn that instead of setting goals that change our environment, like winning a marathon, changing a friend’s behavior, or making people respect us; we make our goals internal. We make it a goal to practice running and training to complete a marathon. We make it our goal to become the kind of friend that will support our friendships. We make it our goal to follow good business practices so that our employees develop a positive attitude and respect for us.
In fact, that’s what we have control over, but not complete control. We have control, mostly, over our behaviors that affect accomplishing our goals. Notice I said mostly because we often don’t have control over the impulses and appetites that affect how we live in this world. Of course, we can work on those too.
Living in the “Upside-Down World” means finding tranquility by coming to terms with the Wheel of Fortune (and Misfortune). It means understanding what we can and cannot control.
I live my life by slogans. Here is one that has helped me live in the “Upside-Down World:”
You have to adjust to the things that won’t adjust to you.
We’ve all heard of the Serenity Prayer. It’s just another version of that. “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.” I’ll save the rest of that prayer for another episode.
Living in the “Upside-Down World” exposes you to monsters, monsters that have been created by greed and the love of money. I think I see you slowly nodding your head in agreement. Honestly, I question almost everybody’s motives. Not my family. Not my personal friends. Not my medical doctor. I’ve taken strides to ensure that the people in my “Upside-Down World” are honest and have integrity.
Here’s the thing, unlike Stranger Things, you’re not going to be able to escape the “Upside-Down World.” Sorry. But what you can do is develop an upside-down-world-mindset, which was the message from Stoics like Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius.
This mindset, living upside-down, allows you to live in the land of monsters with little or no effect on your peace and tranquility.
