Bonkers

You are entirely bonkers.
But I’ll tell you a secret.
All the best people are.
Lewis Carroll

Bonkers. Isn’t that a great word? To me, it doesn’t mean crazy, insane, mad, nuts, stupid, screwy, or off one's rocker. I prefer nutty, bananas, loony, wacky, and mad-as-a-hatter. This is, of course, where this quote comes from as Alice confirms to the Mad Hatter that he is in fact – bonkers. It is said with a smile and perhaps a shake of the head. Sometimes, even some amazement. I would like to suggest that being a little bonkers from time to time is good for us and good for the world.

When someone first said, “Hey, what about adding an eraser to the end of a pencil?” he was probably told he was bonkers. After all, wood pencils had been around since 1699 and were just fine, thank you. But in 1858, Hymen Lipman did just that! What a crazy idea! And what about color pencils? Those didn’t arrive on the scene until 1920.

In 1910, an engineer from Sweden names Lars Magnus installed the first telephone in his car. Of course, it was a little hard to use – he had to connect his phone with wires to telephone poles along the road as he drove. I'm sure people thought he was bonkers…but look where we are today.

Who first thought of putting peanut butter and jelly together in a sandwich? What about plugging in a guitar? And of course, the inventor of Post-It notes! (Which, by the way, was initially created as an adhesive by Spencer Silver of 3M in 1968, but no one found a use for it until Arthur Fry used it to make bookmarks for his hymnal in 1974.) And what about Pet Rocks? An advertising executive came up with that idea and sold over 1 million of them! Definitely bonkers!

I contend that almost all new ideas arise from someone being a little bonkers. These are the folks who look at the world from a slightly different angle. (Please don’t use the phrase “outside the box” – what does that even mean? What box? Whose box? But I digress…) They see the negative space in a photo. They hear the third harmony of a song in their head. Let’s give it a try is their mantra. They are the artists who discover a new way to combine materials – be it paint, wood, metal, glass, etc. and create something no one has seen before. Engineers see patterns and anomalies. Comics point out the weirdness in our world. And how about the chemists who are, right now, finding brand new solutions to a brand new and scary virus. (Yeah, science!)

Now, not all bonker ideas are gigantic in scope. Just look at all the folks finding ways to create facemasks using socks, vacuum filters, bandanas – you name it. Are they a little bonkers? Sure! Do we smile at some of their creations – yup. But we also appreciate their take on keeping us all safe. And, who knows, one of those ideas may just become the newest fashion accessory - formal ones with rhinestones; denim for casual Fridays, team logo versions; or masks for every type of passion or hobby. And I’m sure someone will come up with a way to keep our glasses from fogging when we wear them!

When someone says, "That's bonkers," it can sometimes mean, "Don't be ridiculous." These are the same folks who say – "That'll never work; don't waste your time." Or my personal favorite – “Because we’ve always done it that way.” Everyone I have ever known who I would consider a little bonkers has ignored the naysayers. A friend of mine who heads up the local United Way and is focused on the health and wellbeing of children in the community kept hearing about at-risk kids not being in school. He wanted to know why. It turns out those kid’s families didn’t have some basics – hygiene items, lice treatment kits, undergarments, even a new pair of pants when the ones the kids were wearing split. The idea for the Nurse's Pantry in schools was born, and it is helping kids stay in school across the community. A bonkers idea that has made a difference.

Sometimes bonker ideas come from someone saying, “Why not?” Many years ago, I was involved in the grand opening of a new regional airport terminal. We only had one shot to impress the masses, and it turned into a major black-tie event. Bands, food, unique décor, speeches, all the things you would expect. But we wanted something that people would never forget. Someone suggested fireworks! We quickly realized that might be an FAA issue (the airport was operational at the time), so we thought – let’s bring the fireworks inside! The resulting laser show amazed everyone. The check-in and luggage carousel areas filled with smoke, a soundtrack boomed, and images were displayed for all to see. Bonkers? Sure was, but it worked.

So, if someone calls you or your ideas bonkers – remember Alice.