Without Mirrors
Listen to these Readings:
Kyle Tolle reading ‘Without Mirrors’
One of the first things I do when I wake up is look at myself in the mirror. It’s right there in the bathroom, and I use it after I get out of the shower to put in my contacts and brush my hair. I use a mirror several times a day, every day. I’m sure it’s the same for most Americans.
But what would it be like if we had no mirrors? What was life like before we had mirrors? Did we have messier hair and non-perfect makeup? Maybe we relied a little bit more on other people because we couldn’t get our hair just right without someone to help. Men would still commonly use barbers, since it would be difficult to shave yourself.
More deeply though: would we have less an idea of who we are? Maybe we’d have a more accurate picture without the superficial layer? Is the way we physically look really that important? Self-awareness is a big issue. We can tell we exist as individuals by recognizing ourselves. Babies don’t have that ability though, because it takes time to develop. The test for this is actually called the “Mirror test“. Few animals have self-awareness, but we’re one of them!
Body image issues are largely a product of culture, but I wonder if women back in the days before mirrors were that concerned with looks. They could have used still water to see their reflection, I guess. The Wikipedia page for mirrors shows that the earliest were made around 8000 years ago. That’s a pretty long time back! So maybe they were invented so long ago because it was important to get a sense of what your face looked like.
What about foreign countries or groups of people who live without our lifestyle and have no mirrors? I wonder if there are any profound differences between how they perceive themselves, other individuals, or groups and how we do the same? It wouldn’t surprise me to learn an anthropologist has already looked into this. It would certainly be interesting to see the findings.
I wonder if lovers spend so much time gazing into one another’s eyes because they can see their own reflection there!?
What are your thoughts on the issue? What would life be like without the mirrors. How would it impact you if they were suddenly gone? How does looking into a mirror daily affect your self-perception? Do you like what you see? Do you you hate what you see? Do you not care? Let me know!
Have you ever seen “The Eye of the Beholder”, that Twilight Zone ep? (Forgive me, I love TTZ, and have the entire filmography on this here PC). Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9dwKQ6xyIs
Very good questions you’re posing here on your blog. I think it’s really all about the eye of the beholder…and depending on each individual person, the “eye” extends to the mind.
For example, some men whose “eye” might only be regarding aesthetics might look at Lindsay Lohan and should he have the chance to date her, he might. Others’ “eye” might extend past aesthetics and might expect that someone they date will not have a drug/promiscuity/emotional problem. LOL!
To more directly answer your question, if we had no more mirrors in this world, we might be apt to get out of the house faster each morning, especially for females, but in the end, it’s really more about what the “eyes” we have beholds. We would find a way, as it’s human nature, to judge ourselves and each other in terms of personal appearance.
I watched that episode and it was pretty interesting. I saw the end coming, but it was an interesting point. Felt very much like 1984!
I agree with your comments. Unfortunately, a lot of people do only see what they see with their eyes. I figure, there are a ton of pretty women out there. It gets trickier when you try to pair that with other combinations like accepting of my geekiness, intelligent, and having an awesome sense of humor (like me). Throw in chance, luck, timing, circumstances and other variables and you easily see that life is complicated. And then, not only do you have to find the right girl, but she has to like you back! Unless you prefer to take ‘em by force :-P
It’s interesting when you say it’s “human nature”. Makes me wonder what about it causes it to be human nature. Is it really important for our survival, or just one of those little things that developed for no good reason? Without mirrors, I still don’t think I’d get out of the house faster. I fiddle around on the computer and always leave late.