Human and the need for a mirror!
Why Human Need a Mirror!
From the still waters of ancient streams to today’s silver-coated glass, human's relationship with mirrors has evolved yet, the underlying desire remains the same which is the need to see ourselves, to reflect, and to understand ourselves, people surrounding us and all facts of life.
Before mirrors were invented, people relied on nature’s own tools such as pools of water, calm rivers, or liquid collected in vessels to catch a glimpse of their reflection. These were human’s first mirrors. The earliest man-made mirrors, dating back to around 6000 BC, were crafted from polished volcanic glass like obsidian, with examples found in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey).
Historical Developments were found in:
Egyptians used polished copper.
Mesopotamians created metal and stone mirrors.
In Central and South America, polished stone mirrors were in use by 2000 BC.
China developed mirrors from a tin-copper alloy called speculum metal.
The Romans experimented with blown glass backed by lead.
In the first century, Lebanon is believed to have produced the first metal-backed glass mirrors.
A major leap came in 1835, when German chemist Justus von Liebig invented the silvered-glass mirror, the kind we still use today.
Mirrors are more than tools for grooming. They were used symbolically and functionally to reflect light to brighten spaces, concentrate sunlight for heat (solar furnaces), and to serve in scientific and decorative applications. Som artists use mirrors to look at their artworks and see them from different perspectives for improvement. More profoundly, mirrors, whether literal or symbolic (as in self-meditation), reflect identities.
We don’t just look into mirrors; we look for ourselves in them. Mirrors help us to self-recognize and understand how others might perceive us. Psychologically, they are tools for self-awareness, metacognition, and personal growth. Even without a literal mirror, we seek reflection through feedback from others as a form of social mirroring. Early childhood development supports this. We begin to know ourselves by how others respond to us. This is echoed in developmental psychology, particularly in mirror self-recognition tests, where a person (or animal) shows awareness that the reflection is themselves, not another.
But why we need mirrors and each other? To live without mirrors, whether literal or symbolic mirrors, is like to live without self-awareness. We need interaction and honest reflections from both physical mirrors and human relationships. Why? To see different perspectives, to improve and grow, and better understand our roles in the world.
We need to honestly ask ourselves, who of us can live without a mirror, or without receiving feedback from others?The answer likely, none of us. Just as we need food and shelter, we need reflection to see, to be seen, and to become as oneself and as a part of the whole vast universe.
