OK, today I want to talk about something specific - mirrors. I know, it seems a boring and pointless subject, but bear with me on this one. I'm stuck in a job I vehemently detest so I try to maximise my 'out of office' time as much as possible. I achieve this in a number of different ways - heading to the other side of the office to have a chat with the people over there, getting myself cup upon cup of water and, the old chestnut, going to the toilet at least twenty or thirty times per day.
I'll bet you're wondering where this is going. Well, it was during one of my toilet escapades when I began to realise how often I looked at myself in the mirror during an ordinary day. That got me thinking - how many times do people check themselves out, make sure their hair has fallen the right way, check for any lipstick stains. I became a lot more aware of people around me shooting glances towards more or less any reflective surface - glass doors, those health and safety Plexiglas posters you get, and even cutlery. Yes, CUTLERY!
What's more, when people look at themselves they are no doubt sparing a thought for themselves. A thought which could last a from a fraction of a second to two or three seconds, to two or three minutes depending on a particular person's level of insecurity. This is
disturbing, because after a small calculation based on a few basic and completely possible assumptions, I figured out that the average person spends about 2% of their lives on thoughts of themselves prompted by glances in reflective surfaces. That's not counting general self-centered thoughts brought about as a result of a compliment or insult by someone else, or some other external stimulus. Is it any wonder, then, why society is riddled with raging 40 year old wars?
Everyone is so caught up in their own heads that they couldn't be bothered to think about anyone else. No-one is open to the external world anymore, nobody listens anymore, and everyone thinks they know it all. Think about it, but don't comment on it, I won't be listening....
I'll bet you're wondering where this is going. Well, it was during one of my toilet escapades when I began to realise how often I looked at myself in the mirror during an ordinary day. That got me thinking - how many times do people check themselves out, make sure their hair has fallen the right way, check for any lipstick stains. I became a lot more aware of people around me shooting glances towards more or less any reflective surface - glass doors, those health and safety Plexiglas posters you get, and even cutlery. Yes, CUTLERY!
What's more, when people look at themselves they are no doubt sparing a thought for themselves. A thought which could last a from a fraction of a second to two or three seconds, to two or three minutes depending on a particular person's level of insecurity. This is
disturbing, because after a small calculation based on a few basic and completely possible assumptions, I figured out that the average person spends about 2% of their lives on thoughts of themselves prompted by glances in reflective surfaces. That's not counting general self-centered thoughts brought about as a result of a compliment or insult by someone else, or some other external stimulus. Is it any wonder, then, why society is riddled with raging 40 year old wars?Everyone is so caught up in their own heads that they couldn't be bothered to think about anyone else. No-one is open to the external world anymore, nobody listens anymore, and everyone thinks they know it all. Think about it, but don't comment on it, I won't be listening....
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