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A mirror that reflects and distorts

 


A Mirror That Reflects and Distorts



By Nidhi Guglani


The other day, while talking to a friend—as I often do—I caught myself doing something I didn’t intend to. I was talking about other people. Not criticizing them, not gossiping, just… talking. Reflecting on the trajectory of their lives. How things have changed for them, the choices they’ve made, the turns they’ve taken.


At first, it felt harmless. Thoughtful, even. But then a question struck me: Why am I talking about others? These are their lives—their battles, their inner worlds. Who am I to observe from the outside and analyze what’s going on?


That led to another question: Why do I feel compelled to find meaning in their journeys—especially when our lives intersect?

Perhaps because when someone’s path crosses mine, I instinctively start looking for connections. What does their life say about mine? What part of me is involved in theirs?


And then, suddenly, the boundary between observation and opinion starts to blur.


I wonder:

When I talk like this, what am I really doing?

Is it self-reflection dressed up as analysis of others?

Or is it an unconscious way of forming judgments—however gentle they may seem?


And this questioning doesn’t end there.


When I turn the gaze inward and observe myself from a reflective distance, things get even more complicated. Am I analyzing myself correctly? Or am I misreading my own story, influenced by mood, memory, fear, ego?


Sometimes, I feel I can’t fully trust my own analysis of myself. But if I leave it to others to interpret me, they’ll see me through their own lens—shaped by their experiences, biases, and stories. So then whose perspective do I rely on? What is right? What is wrong?

Is there even such a thing?


Increasingly, I feel there isn’t. At least, not in any universal way. What feels right to me may not feel right to someone else. Every human being walks a different path, faces a different set of battles. Every conclusion is carved out of individual experience.


And maybe that’s the point. There is no final truth—only versions of it.

No perfect reflection—only mirrors that reflect and distort.


But maybe, just maybe, if we stay present with the questions—without rushing to label, define, or judge—something true begins to emerge. Not as an answer, but as a quiet integrity that runs through us. A sense of whether we are acting from fear or understanding, reaction or reflection.


I don’t claim to have clarity. But I think I’ve begun to respect the discomfort of this inquiry. It doesn’t give me answers. It gives me depth.


And that, for now, is enough.


Some mirrors don’t offer clarity. They offer depth. And sometimes, that is the more honest reflection.


Comments

  1. Shambhavi V27 May 2025 at 03:23

    Absolutely ma'am! I feel the same that, there is no final truth, and quite frankly it doesn't even matter if there is. Understanding oneself is an unending process, since we change for as long as we're alive. And thus who we are, is not so much an absolute fact but more of an estimate. I do feel that it's very natural of us to think and evaluate other's lives. I realize it's got nothing to do with how good or bad of a person you are, everyone does that. It's part of being a socially organised species I believe. Though it'd indeed do us all some good to carry on with our questions without rushing to judge.

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