When we think of reflection, we think of a mental exercise wherein one is contemplating an experience or a subject. We are picking out of our minds the things that we can remember about it and those things may or may not be a true representation of the experience. They are, in fact, a reflection of what we actually learned or saw on a previous occasion. Mental reflections will never be truly representative. Another kind of reflection such as a reflection in the mirror is probably as close to a perfect reflection that one will find. One time I remember standing beside a peaceful, still pond and seeing the trees, flora and the sky, from the other side, reflected in the pond. The real scene was almost perfectly reflected in that still pond. A detailed picture could have been painted from the reflection. Reflections are never perfect, but rather just an intangible copy of the original. The word reflec- tion has a lot of different meanings. It can mean, as mentioned above, the reflections of an image or it can mean a person’s mental reflection upon something they have learned or even something as broad as life itself. Ralph Waldo Emerson in his famous writings reflected upon success thus:
“To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and
The affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and
Endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better whether by
A healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
If ten different persons were reflecting on success and writing their thoughts down, you would have ten different descriptions of success and probably, none of them would be like the reflections of Emerson. A student’s reflection upon a lecture represents his interpretation of the philosophical or mental thoughts of the lecturer. Mental reflections never truly represent the original treatise. An example is a copy of an original painting, an artistic masterpiece. The copy may in reality be a near perfect copy and may even be a more excellent painting than the original. It may have been painted on a better canvas, with better quality paints, but because it is merely a reflection of the original (copy), it is considered to be of little value to an art collector.
In life we can, generally, take liberty with certain philosophies, reflect upon them and take away only the things that appeal to us. Confucius was credited with saying, “By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third, by experience, which is the most bitter.” Our reflections may, in fact, be a better analysis of the subject than that described by the original thinker.
Our reflective license may however sometimes be limited, when it comes to canons of doctrine and revelations from divine sources we may have very little latitude in the way we interpret and reflect upon them. Those who do take liberty and reflect or interpret doctrine to their own liking may become disenfranchised from their fellow believers.
Sometimes we reflect upon others in a comparative way bringing both positive and negative outcomes to such reflections. A person in the habit of reflecting on others, in comparison to themselves, will one time feel proud but the next comparison may find them feeling depressed.
There will always be reflections of persons who walk in and out of our lives, that’s just the way it is.
It is better, however, to view ourselves as a reflection of our own accomplishments and value systems than it is to compare ourselves with others. At the same time, we do not want to blind ourselves to what others are like and what they have done for we can take much wisdom from them.
Max Ehrmann has said, “Be not blind to what virtue there is. Many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.”
Reflections are natural and not something we can always choose not to do. As long as we realize that reflections, like our judgments, can be faulty and not a true representation of the actual subject, object or person. That knowledge should keep us cautiously circumspect as we go about our reflecting.