On the “Law of the Mirror”
Life is like a mirror, if you frown at it, it frowns back; if you smile, it returns the greeting. - Jim Morrison
So tonight I had a very interesting conversation with Chiara about many things. At one point the “law of the mirror” came up and I think it’s so deep and true that I feel like sharing it.
I’ve been reading a wonderful book that has a chapter on it. The book is Officina Alkemica by Salvatore Brizzi (recommended for my Italian friends, because yes, it is in Italian). So what is this law of the mirror? Let me quote the book on this:
Reality is our mirror. We only see what we are. Everything we like and admire reflects some aspects of ourselves that we have already digested and thus give us good sensations. On the contrary, everything that is intolerable and that we can’t stand is reflecting those areas of our personality that we cannot accept yet and that we refuse. Truth is there’s nothing ugly in the world and nothing ugly in ourselves. Everything is perfect the way it is… even if we’re not able to see it yet.
And this apparent simple concept has far reaching implications. The more I think about it, the more I agree. The point - not very new but a hard battle for us all - is to get rid of our judgmental mind. Judgment clouds us, it accounts for the very essence of the deformed lenses we use to look at the world.
Get rid of judgment, quiet the all-babbling mind and reality will shine in front of you. Oh well. And how to stop judging and how to achieve a quiet mind? There are many ways. It is definitely not easy but it is definitely a worthy endeavor. Perfect topic for a future post.
17 July 2008