puddles

mirrors alienate us. 

we need the mirror to adjust how we externally present ourselves. you stand there, on your own, composing yourself - based on your own aesthetic sensibilities - because you care about how others will perceive you.

but had mirrors never been invented, we would've needed other people to organize our outward appearance. it would've been part of our social contract to be responsible for fixing each other's image. owing that to each other could build our social cohesion. i need others because they will fix my face. i need others because they will help me conform to fashion standards. we will always be part of an ecosystem, we need to coordinate ourselves to function effectively for our community to serve its purpose.

we do it to an extent, we tell each other what to do and avoid. we don't want our family or friends making a fool of themselves. we want important people in our lives to put their best foot forward. because even if people can see themselves in the mirror, they're only self-aware for that particular moment. as soon as they start moving in three-dimensional space, their level of self-awareness diminishes and their public presentation is determined by their self-control. the more we manifest our desires through action, we stop considering how others perceive us. think of the desperate that will do anything it takes. think of the intensely inebriated with zero inhibition. think of those with pure of heart that puts their belief paramount.

there's a freedom to forgetting our ego. just as much as there's a tyranny to interdependence.

to find our place in this world, i guess we need to have a long hard look into the mirror.