You Can’t See Yourself

So this donut-shaped art at the Outlets in Clarksburg is metallic and reflective. 

But what is really interesting to me is that when you stand in front of it (like I was literally doing here), you can’t see yourself. 

It made me wonder how you can look at yourself and yet not see yourself. 

And I thought of this as being a bigger lesson in life. 

When we are looking at ourself and there is a big donut whole in the mirror of ourselves then we are left blind to what should be reflecting back at us.  

No matter how hard we try to see ourselves and what we are doing right and wrong, it’s like a ghost out there–we are blind to it. 

To really see ourselves, our heart and mind have to be receptive to seeing the full picture. 

That means looking at ourselves as we really are, even when there seems to be a piece missing to the puzzle, and we have trouble being honest about what we see. 

To change, learn, grow–to become a better person, we need to look full on and be willing to see what we will see.  

You can’t see yourself until you can.  😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

The Window and The Mirror

Thought this was a wonderful story on our perspectives in life. 

And how money can corrupt our vision of what is truly important. 

This is the story:

A rich man became ill. 

He looked out the window and saw his old friend who was a poor man. 

The rich, sick man invited the poor man, his friend into his house.

After talking awhile, the rich man asked the poor man to tell him what he sees. 

The poor man told the rich man to go over to the window and asked:

What do you see?

The rich man said:

I see men, women and children in the street. 

Then the poor man took the rich man over the mirror and asked him:

Now what do you see?

The rich man taken aback for a moment, said:

I see myself.

The poor man says:

Ah, that is the difference. Both the window and the mirror are both made out of glass. But when you look into them, you see different things. The window is just plain glass.  But the mirror is glass covered in silver. When we look through just the glass, we see others!  But when we look through the glass tainted with a coating of silver (i.e. money), we only see ourselves.

Wow! Think about it a moment. Shabbat Shalom!  😉

(Story adapted from Bishvil Ha-Ivrit)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Reflections B4 Yom Kippur

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called, “Reflections Before Yom Kippur.”

“I get up in the middle of the night, and I’m still 3/4 asleep. My mouth feels dry, and I walk over to the mouthwash to refresh. I reach for the bottle, but I grab the image in the mirror…”

Hope you enjoy this true story and the parable for living our spiritual lives and not just reach for the ego image in the mirror.

May you be sealed for another year in the book of life. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Body Morphic Disorder

So often you hear about people with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). 

This is a psychiatric disorder where people are obsessed with their real or perceived body flaws. 

Often their notions of a physical flaw is widely exaggerated like someone who has a barely noticeable mole, but they see it as a major blotch on their skin that everyone must be staring at and repulsed by.  

People with this disorder may often stand in front of the mirror starring at themselves obsessing over these minor imperfections. 

But there is something major that is missing here. 

And it is the polar opposite of BDD.

I would call it the Body Morphic Disorder (BMD). 

My notion of BMD is where people are similarly obsessed with their bodies, but rather than real or perceived flaws, they are focused on real or perceived notions of their body’s beauty and  perfection!

Instead of looking in the mirror and perceiving problems and feeling self-loathsome, these people are excessively vain and see themselves as a (near) perfect specimen of a human being. 

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”

Or the equivalent of ain’t I just grand!

It’s funny-weird that we perceive criticism and self-contempt (BDD) as a psychiatric disorder, but we don’t generally see narcissistic self-worship as a personality disorder!

Yet any extreme is a bad thing. 

Excessive loving or hating of your physical self–is the kiss of death when it comes to seeing things the way they really are and being a genuine human being. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Reconstituting The Water Of Antarctica

So Antarctica is the 5th largest continent of 7 in the world. 

It is 5.4 million square miles, and it is larger than both Europe and Australia. 

But it has only a temporary population of 5,000 people, mainly researchers. 

About 70% of the world’s fresh water is held in the Antarctic ice sheet, which is 90% of all the world’s ice. 

And the ice there extends 7,000 feet thick.

If all the ice would melt, the global sea levels would rise 2,000 feet!

Despite 95% of models over the last 30 years predicting the ice sheet melting due to global warming, it actually continues to expand.

It’s a paradox for the science community, but one of the explanations is that as ice shelves break off, they actually forms a protective barrier for the new ice being formed along the main ice landmass. 

Even with global warming, the average temperature in Antarctica is still -35 degrees Fahrenheit, and most parts never get above freezing. 

So here’s an idea–rather than fear global warming, is there an opportunity to use it and advance it, if only we can channel the effects of it for the good of humanity. 

The Antarctic Treaty System prevents nuclear weapons explosion there, but wouldn’t that be a cool way to melt some ice and get some fresh drinking water for this thirsty planet or even to somehow move to MARS for colonization there?

Also, we could place solar mirrors in space to redirect sunlight to melt the ice–that’s either some probably some pretty big mirrors or the dispersion ray of a space laser(s). 

The key now is to get the water to where you want it to go and not to destroy by massive flood our worldwide seaboard cities–and that’s where a mass molecular transporter comes along. 

There is still much to discover and invent, but when it’s done, I think we will definitely be heading to Mars and beyond.

Really, we have to, there is no other long-term survival choice for humankind. 

And perhaps, G-d placed the survival pod for us right under our feet at literally, the southern most point of the world, Antarctica! 😉

(Source Photo: here via Wikipedia)

Broken Mirror Reflections D.C.

So I took this photo of a smashed mirror hanging out of a corner trash can in downtown D.C.

Half is reflecting the garbage in the can and half is reflecting the buildings and trees outside. 

Such a metaphor for the society we live in these days. 

Where we are broken, and society is broken, and certainly lots of government is broken. 

And the shards of glass reflect on the both the garbage of what has piled up inside us and the system, but also the possibilities on the outside for development, growth, and change. 

The broken mirror with the sharp glass shards is dangerous, but perhaps by seeing the mess we are in, we can finally step up and do something to fix it. 

No more circling the wagons, infighting or deflecting from the issues; no more blaming the past or demonizing the opposition; no more excuses for stagnation, incompetence, or impotence; no more whitewashing and red tape; no more firefighting, shoddy quick fixes or waiting for another break/fix; no more whirlwind spin around the dazed and confused; no more sugar-coating, backpedaling, or dressing up or down the facts; no more playing politics or deceiving ourselves and others–is that even possible any longer?

Instead, we change to a model of acknowledging that which is broken and teaming together to fix it–doing something positive, and constructive for ourselves and the world–oh, fix it Dear Henry, please fix it.  😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Looking At Ourselves In The NUKE Mirror

Any deal is based on T-R-U-S-T and verification, especially when it comes to dangerous nukes. 

Yet the deal with Iran–a member of the “Axis of Evil” and the #1 state sponsor of terrorism worldwide and of the worst abusers of human righs is trustless, especially when verification mechanisms are weak and Iran is non-complaint?

So where’s the trust headed now (has anything changed, what are the signs so far)?

T – Turning away – Iran continues to turn away and refuse access to inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) who are tasked with the verification of Iran’s non-proliferation of nukes.

R – Restraining people – Iran continues to disrespect us and holds 4 Americans hostage with no sign or promise of release. 

U – Undermining – Iran continues to undermine any relationship with the West by affirming that hostile policies toward “arrogant” America will not change. 

S – Swindling – Iran continues to swindle and deceive the West going so far as to publish a 416-page manifesto by the Ayatollah on destroying Israel, “the ally of the American Great Satan.”

T – Threatening – Iran continues to threaten the West most recently warning of a “Third World War” sparked by terorrism, and continuing chants of “Death to America!“

So what’s the future of this deal in protecting the world from nukes and terrorism–let’s be honest and look in the mirror and ask what’s the deal here? 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Seeing Double

I had to do a double take seeing this yesterday in D.C.

No this is not someone leaning up against a mirror.

This is two people, back-to-back on the train.

They have the same jacket, haircut, glasses, as well as pants and shoes (although you can’t see these in the picture). 

They are looking in same general direction. 

The only difference is the collar that’s up on the guy on the right. 

Imagine if we all looked and dressed and even acted identically…one big homogeneous and ultimately boring and uncreative society.

Please give me some individualism, spontaneity, and make me whole. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Hair Please Don’t

My friend used to joke when someone had a bad hairdo by calling it a “hairdon’t.”

I took this photo in the mall on Sunday of this mannequin head with hair in multicolors sticking up out of her head in all directions. 

Uh, you gotta be kidding–is this actually going to sell anybody on a new hairdo (unless of course maybe you count it’s shock value)?  

See the mirror lying next to it too, so you can actually see how you would look in one of these get ups–if, of course, you really want to. 

When the nice young Asian attendant lady saw me looking at this monstrosity, she runs over like can I help you, seriously.

Yeah, I’m doing some holiday shopping (Chanukah’s right around the corner you know), and I’d like to get a new look JUST LIKE THIS!

Not today, but thank you. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Reflections

We did a little kayaking at Lake Needwood today.

I couldn’t believe they open at 6:30 in the morning already to rent boats on a Sunday.

In the boathouse, there was a huge spider on the floor crawling around, and the boat attendant came with a thingamajig to grab it and throw it back in the lake.

As he took the spider away, he made sure to tell us that is was POISONOUS!

On the lake, I took this photo of the gorgeous trees and greenery and it’s reflection on the water…a perfect mirror image.

Thank you G-d for the amazing world you have created and allow us to enjoy. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)