...and way down [the Rabbit Hole] we go

Welcome to the tea party. Assessing the damage begins by determining the trajectory first: is it down or rather up the aforementioned pitfall? The distinction itself is noteworthy, as the descent [or potentially ascent] into madness necessitates a primordial origin of sorts. One does not randomly find themselves amidst a free fall, stagnant, almost motionless, being somewhat spontaneously spaghettified by the cosmic forces of a black hole of massive proportions, from both extremities, simultaneously. More realistically, the starting point can strictly be only either at the opening of the hole, before the moment of the fall, or at the very bottom of the pit once the fall has already occurred, and the individual is now tasked with the impossibly difficult burden of finding a way out of the hole.

In either case, why are we, as humans, quick to attribute any kind of fall or climb as an inherently unfortunate series of events? The physical act here must be carefully divorced from the epistemological: one can, undoubtedly, stumble over a large, heavy object and fall, either face or back forwards and suffer an injury as an aftermath of this physical act. Similarly, one can fumble or tumble over humble mumbles that may or may never eventually materialize into becoming anything more than parasitic hums intrusively settling in a mind that tries, very much unsuccessfully, to quiet the noise.

The quandary is once again reduced to a problem of meaning centered around the definition of the term “loud.” Is this the descriptive term to be used when the background noise exceeds the volume of one’s own mind, thereby significantly hindering their ability to “hear” their own thoughts? Or is it when the discordant clashes become too loud, such that even louder noises are needed to cancel out the same magnetic charge? Two equally strong forces could therefore lead to only one of two outcomes: either intense attraction or extreme repulsion. The magnitude remains unequivocally the same; the issue at hand is about whether the force is directed inwards or outwards. 

The logical conclusive assumption is thus that such a force must be that of outright repulsion – coercively forcing the noise out to carefully isolate and protect the noises in. White noise offers such a radiating push outwards, thereby providing a sense of uniformity and coexistence not because it aligns the outside distortion with those ongoing in the mind but because the simple act of drafting the eviction notice allows the remaining inside distortion to survive the noise pollution. Any lingering cacophony is granted asylum status provided predictable patterns perpetuate peace. 

Falling in the literal sense is losing in the game of balance. The physical fall is clumsy. Erratic. Out of control. 

Falling in the figurative sense becomes more of an act of rebellion; the indulgent state in which one allows the thoughts to enter, or flood the vessel. The mental fall is deliberate. Calculated. Although still very much so, unapologetically out of control.