August 22, 2022

Memory Lane - The Importance of Looking in the Mirror

There are eight mirrors in my house. Based on that simple fact, some would say I'm vain. Anyone who's got as many mirrors on display as there are days in the week plus one must get a hard on looking at himself, especially when three of those are as big as your average door. But I'm not. 



When I prance around the house butt naked because I can't find my lucky towel, it never even crosses my mind to stand still and take a very good look at nature's work of art. Or a picture. You can ask Angie if you don't believe me. I avoid mirrors. And it has nothing to do with my 10 inch best friend that makes me feel like I can take on the entire world, so I just don't need to look in a mirror - just look down and make yourself believe it matters. Nope. That's not it.

And yet, at the same time it is my belief that looking in the mirror is one of the most importance things anyone can do. It is my belief there wouldn't have been thousands of years wasted by us people making ourselves believe we're better than others - be it neighboring countries or just neighbors - if we had just taken the time to take a very good look at ourselves and put ourselves in perspective. And when I say 'in perspective' I mean seeing ourselves without the aid of glass or any other kind of shiny object. Does that make me a saint? Am I saying I do look at myself and see myself in perspective and perfectly so? Am I telling you how good I am and therefore in fact showing off my vanity? No. What I'm saying is I'm trying. I'm trying to understand who I am in this world. I'm trying to see myself even if my eyes are closed or blind and make that person as good a human being as I possibly can. I look in that metaphorical mirror and tell myself: You should not hurt others. You should help others in need. You should allow people to look you in the eye. Drop the fucking politics. You're one person, a single person, and so is everybody else. 

But I'm telling you... it's not easy. It's easier to pretend to be vain. It's easier to play the game that has been played for as long as there have been people on this planet, while deepdown all we really care about is to be heard. Do you hear what I'm trying to say? Does what I say matter to you? Why is it so damn hard for everyone to look in the mirror at the same time and say, "Let's have a drink. Let's not shoot each other in the face"?

And, yes, that's a rhetorical question.

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