NOTE TO SELF: 1987 (minor 2013 edit – important: 1987 ‘man’ = mankind, as such)
The construction of man was undoubtedly a miracle, although one might wonder whether or not it was (initially) an act of boredom. Had civilisation progressed as God had intended it to, there would be no cause for concern, but modern man has travelled so far along forbidden paths in his quest to discover the meaning of Life that his creation and the purpose behind it has been ignored (for years). One wonders whether it hasn’t been conveniently deleted from his memory completely.
Man has evolved into something totally contrary to what was expected. Man in modern society assumes that he is invincible – a story-book hero with limitless powers. He sees himself as the epitome of perfection and will not admit the potential presence of any weaknesses. Stated more accurately by a certain A. Grit, “Nature didn’t make us perfect, so she did the next best thing – she made us blind to our faults.” Man’s denial of imperfection is (nearly) imperceptible, although he is surely aware that somewhere deep within his (superior) being there is something that needs correction, something that he cannot do without. Perhaps it would be destructive to admit it – even if it was just to himself – it might taint his opinion (of himself) or crack the fragile shell of his ego.
For man to understand himself accurately, it would be necessary for him to see himself as he appears in reality. Without much effort, he could merely stand before a mirror and study his reflection and draw his conclusions from his observations. However, it is easy to escape unharmed by staring at your reflection in a normal mirror because the reflection is superficial and does not extend further than skin deep. What he (actually) needs is a large two-way mirror that reveals his surface features from one side and when he moves behind the mirror to the other side he can see his inner turmoil and associated imperfections. Only then, under constant scrutiny, would he begin to discover for himself that although he is a human being of miraculous proportions, he has also been made with his share of (inherited) insecurities and problems.
The most difficult thing for him to understand however, is that by viewing himself subjectively as well as objectively, he is in no way conceding to or admitting defeat, (but that) he is actually on the way to self-discovery.
A mirror in itself is a means by which man can unravel the mysteries within himself. By turning to face a mirror he can unjumble the confusion inside of him and make sense of his situation in order to proceed (effectively equipped) in a ‘weird’ world of reality. There is no doubt that man’s true reflection will not hold any substantial pleasure initially, but perhaps for him to come to terms with himself it is an effective measure. It would surprise him to discover that instead of being the all-knowing figment of his imagination, he has become the ignoramus who stares back into his eyes so helplessly. Man has become disillusioned and must learn to deal with his disppointment in order for him to begin again. Maybe by participating in a venture of this nature, society will change and follow a more positive path towards the future. Maybe, just maybe, by doing this man will revolutionise his outlook and turn out to be what was expected of him the moment the dust with which he was created, had settled.
C.J. Birch
C.J. Birch 