I see my face in the mirror and go, 'I'm a Halloween costume? That's what they think of me?
Drew Carey
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About Me
- ChewingOnMirrors
- We all have multiple personalities who make us who we are. Physical reflection can lead to mental reflection and the creation of identity/self.
6 comments:
A healthy social life exists,
When in the mirror of each human soul
The whole community finds its reflection,
And when in the community
The creative virtue of each soul lives.
~Rudolf Steiner, founder of Waldorf education
Thanks for the quote. Pardon the pun, but it really does reflect a lot of ideas about this project I'm working on, of which this blog is a part. The community being reflected in each human soul ties in with what, ultimately, is going to happen with this blog. Stay tuned for an explanation of what the hell what I just wrote actually means.
So, I'm picturing a public place, a social place - maybe somewhere like a coffee shop, a bar, or a restaurant - where there are no mirrors on the walls. The space is filled only with tables, each with one chair. Opposite the chair, on the other side of each table, is a standing mirror situated to reflect only the chair of one neighboring table. Thus, each mirror at each table reflects only one particular chair at a neighboring table.
How does the knowledge of persistent reflection affect the behavior of individuals seated at the tables? How do they choose their seats?
Dvegan,
Your scenario is an interesting one. I suppose my selection of a chair would depend on who I wanted to be seen by. Interestingly, this person would also be the person I wanted to see.
I think also the distance would matter. If the mirror across from me were aimed at someone on the far side of the cafe/bar, I could get a bigger picture of the things going on around them. However, the details would be less noticable, and the "mirror contact" would be less intimate. A mirror aimed at the table next to me would provide a closer view of the person, and thus a more intimate view.
I wonder, would it be any less disconcerting to be stared at by someone in a mirror as by someone staring directly at you? After all, we're all mirrors in a way, just reflecting light back, so does it matter if that light hits another surface before it gets to our eyes?
So, would we even care enough to change our behavior because of the reflection when all we're doing in this scenario is reflecting light off of one extra surface? Does it maybe create a strange sense of there being 2 versions of each person?
I chose to respond because the initial post is just a few words yet underneath the simple courier text lies a deep open space in which I realize any individual can fill with their own thoughts and experiences. I recently looked at myself in the mirror about a week ago. Really looked at myself. The face reflecting back to me held no emotion or falsehood of any kind. My eyes, a microscope to my soul, were empty. In that precious moment of absolute truth, I wondered how many people see past my cover? How many days do I put makeup on my face to smooth out redness and cover up pain with a smile? Do I, have I, ever really looked at myself? Have I ever trusted anyone to look past my easily posted shield? I somehow manage to make friends fairly easily, but what do I illuminate in my actions that befriends them? What these people see on the outside is not close to the intellectual, shy, emotional, caring, overly anal, forgetful, compassionate person I really am. Only on occasion, when weakness hits me without warning, will someone have an opportunity to view my fear, anxiety, insecurity and jealousy. And sadly, when that happens, I apologize for showing my true self. I apologize as if I made a mistake or as if I had a weak moment. So I ask myself again, how many people see past my cover? How many people know who I am? More importantly, will I have the courage to look at myself again?
Hey, Angela,
It's interesting that you refer to the vulnerable side of you as your true self. I think a lot of people think the same way. While I think it is true to a certain extent, especially that we mask our true feelings sometimes, I also don't think this hidden part really represents anyone completely.
I have my own insecurities. I try to act confident in every thing I do, but sometimes I'm really faking it. Most of the time, I am not very good at faking it, so I end up pressuring myself to work hard so that I don't have to fake it. I suppose I'm thinking of schoolwork at the moment, but school is a huge part of my identity, and it is where I get a lot of feedback about who I am. And I misinterpret things all the time. I have a tendency to resort to the idea that people don't want to be around me if I'm busy. I avoid people sometimes because I don't have the time to invest all my energies in them at that moment. And I think I come off as aloof and distant, when really, I'm just hoping they'll say hi so I can say hi back.
I think I got off track. The point I'm trying to make is that I think everyone has things hidden inside, tender things, that if exposed too quickly could be damaged or destroyed. But, I believe that our "selves" are a combination of what we show and what we hide. It takes courage to show certain things, and many people will not understand. I'm finding, though, that if I expose more of myself instead of hiding it all the time, people respect that.
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