What was waiting for me, as I walked towards the car parked in the courtyard, was the sight of this honey sucker. Its reflection was visible on both sides on a glass surface. The one on the rear view mirror was clear, but mildly blurred and the other on the window glass was more blurred.
The images differed from the original in clarity and appeal.
All of us carry our images, which we project or cultivate or communicate. The images we communicate can be a true representation of our authenticity or a distortion of it. There are those who choose to live their lives openly and transparently. There is concordance between their inner self and outer behaviour. There are others, who live dichotomously. Their inner orientation and behaviour does not match. Their images which others are made to see are an exalted view of themselves, deliberately made to be so to receive attention, popularity or position.
On the same day I watched the bird and its images, I had an experience of a shop keeper calling me back, to give me a balance of 500 hundred rupees. I was walking away after paying the bill without realising that I had handed over a thousand rupees currency instead of a five hundred rupees currency. When I commented and complemented the shop keeper of his honesty, he surprised me with his comments: ‘We cannot do anything but what is right because, God created us with a conscience’. Those were powerful words.
Today, many professionals seek the help of coaches, image builders and public relations consultants, to enhance their perception and visibility.
While we might justify such exercises to be useful, what is important is to communicate the ‘real self’ rather than project an image. We would end up living distorted lives, as we cannot often live up to the images that we have projected of ourselves. Soon others around us would also observe the disparity between our true self and the projected self. That is when it would hurt us and slide us into a guilt prone state emotionally.
Our journey through life gives us an opportunity to pursue to live authentically! That in itself is a worthwhile mission!
MC..Mathew(text and photo)
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