366. So. Where to now?
The most heart wrenching thing about this, is that some - maybe most- people don't see it. To some this is some kind of weird self-induced mania that they've never experienced. I'd go so far as to say most people find it passively interesting, because they think that maybe they possibly can relate with one of them. But of course this is all entertainment. It's not to be taken seriously. Everything in life is entertainment these days.
And we're all getting older. Many of these effects have outlived their lifespan. Meaning, most people simply aren't old enough to remember the way things used to be. I can mention that Ricky Ricardo never said "Lucy you've got some splainin to do" and some people will know what I'm talking about right away. That demographic is going by the wayside because nobody lives forever. A large portion of people I meet nowadays have never even seen that show.
I used to think that despite the fact that people die and memories fade, the history books are concrete. What is written down will serve humanity forever and it can't/won't change. But my greatest fear has been realized because now history changes all the time. Biology changes. Our bodies change. Geography changes. And I'm not talking about the changes that happen naturally over the progression of time. It's this way one day, it's a different way the next. And you can't predict any of it.
I've reached the conclusion that the mandela effect isn't new. On the off chance that I meet someone older than me who actually sees this phenomenon, they almost always say this has been going on for as long as they've been alive. Probably longer. It's the "thing that shall not be mentioned." It's wide-spread denial. As soon as you insinuate that more than just the times are a changing, you're automatically crazy. And most people don't want to be thought of as crazy. And so it goes.
Now I know as well as any other that some people see, some people don't see. That's part of the totally inexplicable and otherworldly nature of this. Some people have experienced these things, others have not. I'm not accusing all mandela deniers of being ignorant. I will say this though. Once you shut yourself off and stop thinking about it, it does seem to go away. A few years ago once I discovered this it was all I could think about. And I noticed things every single day.
I knew a girl once who said she wouldn't talk about it because that was the only way to cope with it. And she was totally right. If you just refuse to acknowledge it, and go on with your life, eventually it fades away. These days it's a rare occurrence that I notice one of these effects. Still sometimes I do. I don't even mention them to friends anymore. I've even stopped blogging about it for some time. Get this; at times I've even questioned whether or not it was all in my head. (!?)
One last thing. If nobody had ever mentioned the actual phenomena known as the Mandela Effect I probably wouldn't have noticed either. Let's face it, it's way too much for people to handle. And with every passing year the time you have for anything not immediately affecting your life is decreasing. When you deny this effect, it almost magically ceases to exist.
Ignorance is bliss they say. Nothing could be more true than that statement. Nothing. For those of you who know, please know that you're not alone. I don't recommend my method, the method of choosing to purposefully cut yourself off, of deciding you just don't want to know anymore. But how else can we cope? Half the world thinks you're crazy and the other half won't talk about it. I think the world would be a better place is we all took note, if we all noticed the same things, if we all talked about this. Perhaps it's better to just not talk about it, drink the Kool-Aid. We're all going to die anyways. No point in causing more problems.
"Ain't nobody got time for that"
I think we all forgot that Mandela used to be young