Mirror
The funhouse mirror
You look at yourself dozens of times per day – perhaps you open your front camera by mistake, or you look in the mirror while brushing your teeth, maybe you walk by a shop window. Each time you see a different facet of yourself, nevertheless it’s still you in essence. But what about how other people see you? I imagine all of us standing in a room of mirrors, each one showcasing a different aspect of our personality. You know – you are what you eat, you are the company you keep, the school you go to, the books you read, etc. Then right above our heads stands a huge, twisted funhouse mirror, taking in all of our reality, bending it in all sorts of uncomfortable ways, and spitting out the social media version of us.
In a Barbie world
“Toys” are defined by the dictionary as “an object, often a small representation of something familiar, as an animal or person, for children or others to play with”. A small representation of something familiar. So do toys represent what we see around us? They might. But when does this representation become harmful, or does it ever, and why? Do toys have the capacity to reflect an unrealistic image, or do they convey a hidden message?
Movies and mirrors
“Mirror mirror on the wall. Who’s the fairest of them all.”
We all know this quote far too well. The evil queen is beautiful, ruthless and worst of all: vain. When we turn on a Disney movie it’s easy to tell the difference between the good and evil characters before the story actually starts.
The lies we see
As kids, we’ve all come across the concept of lateral inversion in school while studying the topic of light or mirrors. Like every other plebeian, I brushed it off as a redundant scientific phenomenon that has no real use and exists for the sake of increasing our syllabus. Only recently did I discover how we’re all being blatantly lied to. And how we’ve never really seen ourselves, probably won’t ever be able to.
Taking history as a mirror
Of course, there are plenty of similar examples indicating how different a historical event can be interpreted if the “mirror” is placed at different angles; but the point made is evident – it is not enough to have a good knowledge of history, one must come to understand how history is used and deciphered by different actors.
Satisfaction
However you manage your studying time, you probably imagine those days coming after the exam as an oasis where all of your problems will be gone and where you will have time to do what you really enjoy in life. But as soon as the exam is finished, something else pops up in your mind.
Reflection: Know yourself better with Lasse Lychnell
How can we get a better view on what drives us without losing ourselves in the process? We decided to ask Lasse Lychnell, a professor and researcher at SSE, whose research and life are connected to self-reflection.