It’s been almost a decade since
the Dean of the institute where I was pursuing my diploma threw us a challenge.
A challenge which would profoundly impact us, if we had the courage to practice
it daily. But then it is easier said than done, he cautioned us, for only a
handful few had really managed to go beyond the first few days. And those who
did had reaped benefits of the habit. The challenge was to stand in front of
the mirror everyday and look deep into your eyes for 2-3 minutes. Simple as it
may sound, it’s an equally daunting task. Don’t agree try giving it a
shot. Over the years I have come to realize why only a handful people managed
to go beyond the first few days.
It is a psychological truth that
we often see in others what we don’t like about ourselves. When there is an
aspect of ourselves that we find unacceptable it is human nature to hide it
from ourselves, even to pretend the opposite, and instead project those
feelings we have about ourselves onto others. But when we look into the mirror
all we see is ourselves in a mirror. The mirror reflects back at us the way we
look at it. There is no one else to dilute or bias the look or put it in their
perspectives of what is being reflected. It’s just us. There is no escaping.
All that we see is us. That is the reality. It only lasts as long as we are
looking at the mirror. The moment we look away, we have a memory of the image
in the mirror, but the reality itself is gone. And if we don’t have the
penchant for accepting what we see, it can be quite discomforting and
disheartening. To be frank and honest about it, very rarely do we have it. The
minute we accept what we see, it profoundly impacts us leading to amazing transformation.
The mirror thus symbolizes the
power of self knowledge. And, according to Japanese legend, self-knowledge is
the most treasured of all three powers (other two being sword and jewel)
because it guides how all other powers are used, whether they are used for good
or for ill. The power of a mirror is unsurpassed. A mirror helps us to change
freely and willingly. For when you look into the mirror we see the person who
is responsible for our future, present and past. And when we acknowledge and
accept what we see in the mirror is nothing but our true self with much more
power than we usually recognize, everything changes.
We get a sneak peek of how what
you see in the mirror impacts you in the movie “Cool Runnings”, a movie that
traces the journey of first Jamaican bobsled team. One of the members of team,
Junior, has always been in the awe of his father who has dictated what’s best
for him and to date has never quite realized about the power that lies within
him. Knowing that his father about to get him back home and he has no choice
but to return home, Junior gets easily intimidated by one of their competitors
at the bar. What follows next is the crux of what looking into the mirror is
all about.
Motivated and inspired by his
team mate Yul Brenner, Junior becomes aware of his power within. His
realization of the true power though comes later when he follows his father,
who has come to take him back home, to the lift in order to persuade him
to let him continue with the bobsled team. It’s precisely at this
moment Junior happens to look into the mirror and is reminded of what he sees
in himself . It’s just him. There is no escaping. All that he sees is
him. The only person responsible for his future his he himself. That is the
reality and he accepts it before it is gone. Something which he has never done
before. “I see pride. I see power”, he says and tells his dad “No! I am
NOT a scared little boy, I am a MAN….and I am staying right here.”
That is his amazing
transformation from a scared little boy to a MAN. Just because he happened look
into the mirror and accept the reality.
As Junior’s team mate Yul Brenner
puts it ”
…..it’s not about what I see. It’s about what you see.”
So what is that you see in when
you look into the mirror?
References
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