The Looking Glass Ain’t Half Full Yet

Or “What the Hell is Right with Introspection?”


This is a look into the fallacies of self-inspection and why the answers we find are the biggest lies we can tell ourselves.

Many notable scholars and psychologists tell us that to be truly happy we must learn all we can about ourselves. We are to do this by examining our past deeds and the motives for the things we’ve done. This, of course, is the highest form of mental masturbation.

Each time we do this “self-examination” we color our findings with justifications and clouded reasoning. It is impossible for a person to be truly honest with themselves. Oh, there are those who say that it is a prerequisite for anyone who wants self-enlightenment to “look inward.” But the truth we must have an idea of who we are before our inspection starts. And almost without exception that self-portrait is wrong.

We see ourselves as either who we want to be or who we’re afraid we are. This is what drives us to the same point each time we feel the need to look in the mirror for a reason for something we said or did or didn’t say or do. And what we see is never the whole truth. It is only the mirror looking back. It cannot see the future or the past. It can only show the here and now.

It is this simple truth that must be accepted. A person does not change because they see themselves one way and want to be different. They change because they look past the mirror and see what mistakes they’ve made and endeavor not make them again. It’s not the motivations or the reasoning behind the actions it is the deeds themselves. A painting does not care what type of paint is used, the result is what matters.

So the next time you, dear reader, hear someone speak of doing some introspection ask them what they are looking for. Chances are they will not be able to really tell you. They may come up with some canned response about “enlightenment” or “inner peace” but if pressed they will usually fold under the burden of ignorance. The real truth will be they looked in the mirror and it wasn’t full yet.