You are More Than The Mirror Suggests

When we look in a mirror, we see what’s commonly known as a ‘mirror image’ of ourselves. This is because left and right are reversed, so that when you move your left hand, the right hand of the person in the mirror moves, instead of the left. You’ve probably noticed that you look different in pictures than you do in the mirror, and this is because of mirror images.

When we see our mirror image, we believe that it is who we are. We believe that everyone sees us the same way that we physically see ourselves.

We are not reminded by other people that this is wrong, because unless they see us in the mirror, they will never see us as we see ourselves.

Whenever we think about who we are, we talk of ‘how much’ we have of a character trait like bravery or intelligence as if they are static values.

If our physical state changes from day to day with hair and nail growth, and skin cycling, why would we ever think that our mental state is constant?

Everyone goes through different situations, and has happier and darker days. it is important to realize this because when we notice that we are feeling differently than we are used to, the correct course of action is not to pretend that nothing has changed, and that we are still in our previous state, but instead be honest with ourselves and others that yes, we are feeling different than before.

You are not who you see in the mirror, or even necessarily who you think you are.

You are definitely not who others think you are, and it can be frustrating to hear something about yourself that is simply wrong.

Mirrors and their images can be wrong: they can be chipped and destroyed.

We do not have to let any image we have seen of ourselves tell us who we are inside. We have a choice every day to change our ways and take over what we do.

The mind can be bogged down by addictions and emotional suppressions, but even in these times, our soul can continue its desperate tugging at the mind and body to improve and break through. Destroying the image of who we were, by resolving what problems existed  into memories.

As students at Mines, we go through a lot of stress and to stay positive it is sometimes necessary to remember that no trait about us has to stick and no image of ourselves is permanent.

Even when we do not think we know who we are, we can still set goals and determine who we want to be. If all else fails, we must persevere to be better than the version of ourselves that existed yesterday.