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This happens to me a lot, and it is the strangest thing. Have you ever stood in front of a mirror and looked at the image staring back at you? We take for granted what we are sometimes, and when we decide to take note of what we are, we look at it based on other people's opinions. Now put that aside, go to a mirror, and look at yourself. Ignore the clothes you wear or the jewellery and make up, just look at yourself and think about what your eyes are in relation to you. What the structure that is called the body is in relation to you. It's scary sometimes when I think about it because the body feels like a shell sometimes, just an outer casing for something more, something unseen by the world, by your own eyes. What are you? Who are you based on what you are? Are who you are and what you are related? Are they dependent on one another? If not why?

Is this thread too deep? I only ask these questions because this experience scares and amazes me all at the same time. Has anyone else had the same experience? If so, how have you solved the riddle of "You"?

This is cool...I know what you are saying.....I've often done the same...It's like a shell...like it's not really real....and really it's not in the sense that it's not eternal...it is a shell...what's real is the essence of your spirit..IMO....Cool realization......And I thought I was the only one who had bizarre thoughts like that.

All things are dependent on all other things (and non-things).

When I look in the mirror and see what is standing there, I see a hominid animal, a close relative of a chimpanzee. I see one that has a need to wear fabric made from plant fiber, to cover up some strange cultural idea imposed on me.

Interesting posts guys! I see what seems like a machine. A very strange and wonderful machine, but it seems to be just that--a machine. Others see this machine and interpret it as making up the whole "me", when it doesn't. It's just a shell and what I am or may be is hidden somewhere inside, even hidden from my own eyes.

Originally posted by KPrince
I had no idea there was a theory concerning something like this. But the strange thing is that only when you look into a mirror, you suddenly get that awareness that the image in front of you, looking right at you, may not be you at all, and what really becomes unsettling, is that you almost do not recognize the image in front of you. That image becomes alien almost and the question arises, "Is that really me I see or something else?"

No, that is not normal. This kind of feeling can be induced by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Most humans can recognize them selves in a mirror, but if you are having problems with this I recommend that you seek professional help. Or you could lay off the weed for about a week and you then you should be ok.

I say yes, this is normal.... ..Honestly when I smoked weed once, I couldn't believe my legs was really mine....I just kept staring at them....'WOW THEY'RE ALMOST LIKE THEY'RE NOT MINE"....lol...If I try hard enough I won't even feel them......

Originally posted by debbiejo
I say yes, this is normal.... ..Honestly when I smoked weed once, I couldn't believe my legs was really mine....I just kept staring at them....'WOW THEY'RE ALMOST LIKE THEY'RE NOT MINE"....lol...If I try hard enough I won't even feel them......

See what I mean? Chemical imbalance.

If I try harder maybe I can make them disappear..... ..But didn't want to take the chance....what if I couldn't get them back....That would be really bad....how would I explain where my legs went?....

Though KPrince, I do see what you're saying...

Originally posted by debbiejo
...Though KPrince, I do see what you're saying...

Reality is all in our heads. You have complete control over how you feel.

One day when I was looking my image in the mirror it was like if it was aware of me, like I was aware of it... I know that is just a psychological thing but it is interesting how our psychology work, and the sensation of it being real. And nope... there was not any weed... I think

Originally posted by Atlantis001
One day when I was looking my image in the mirror it was like if it was aware of me, like I was aware of it... I know that is just a psychological thing but it is interesting how our psychology work, and the sensation of it being real. And nope... there was not any weed... I think

I hope everyone knows I was joking, I could not resist the opportunity to have fun with this thread. If I have offended anyone, I am sorry.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
No, that is not normal. This kind of feeling can be induced by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Most humans can recognize them selves in a mirror, but if you are having problems with this I recommend that you seek professional help. Or you could lay off the weed for about a week and you then you should be ok.

Good point, "note to self...lay off weed...."

Kidding aside though, Are who you are and what you are related?

Originally posted by KPrince
Kidding aside though, Are who you are and what you are related?

All kidding aside. The answer, in my opinion, is yes. The self is like something that does not exist, yet if it does not exist, then what is it? What is the difference between the wind blowing through the trees and the wind blowing through a flute? The mind is the answer. The image you see in the mirror is only your understanding, for without the mind, you would not know what you see. But I will tell you what I am convinced of, in this world filled with dilution there is one true reality that non of us ever see.

When I look in the mirror, I see the finest form of chemical balance, man has ever made:

Actually, a really cool meditation to try is;
get a candle (at night) put it on the floor in front of a mirror. Sit on the floor cross-legged and stare at your reflection.
It is fun and you can see all sorts of things.
But in the end, I found anyway, my image disappeared and there was no me. It was very cool!!!
and I swear I am not a vampire

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
All kidding aside. The answer, in my opinion, is yes. The self is like something that does not exist, yet if it does not exist, then what is it? What is the difference between the wind blowing through the trees and the wind blowing through a flute? The mind is the answer. The image you see in the mirror is only your understanding, for without the mind, you would not know what you see. But I will tell you what I am convinced of, in this world filled with dilution there is one true reality that non of us ever see.

I agree. There is something there, it feels just like when you have a word that you are trying to remember, it's on the tip of your tongue, so familiar, yet you cannot discern what it is. That is how it feels when I look into the mirror at those odd moments in my life. It is like an understanding of something so deep and hidden, that if only your mind could grab hold of it, then you would have an incredible revelation about yourself.

Originally posted by StrangeDays
Actually, a really cool meditation to try is;
get a candle (at night) put it on the floor in front of a mirror. Sit on the floor cross-legged and stare at your reflection.
It is fun and you can see all sorts of things.
But in the end, I found anyway, my image disappeared and there was no me. It was very cool!!!
and I swear I am not a vampire

That's interesting. Maybe I should try that sometime.

Originally posted by KPrince
I agree. There is something there, it feels just like when you have a word that you are trying to remember, it's on the tip of your tongue, so familiar, yet you cannot discern what it is. That is how it feels when I look into the mirror at those odd moments in my life. It is like an understanding of something so deep and hidden, that if only your mind could grab hold of it, then you would have an incredible revelation about yourself.

You are at the beginning of the long road of questioning who you are and what life is, after my journey on it I cant say I recommend it but I suppose every intelligent being must go through it.

Originally posted by KPrince
It is like an understanding of something so deep and hidden, that if only your mind could grab hold of it, then you would have an incredible revelation about yourself. There are many neat meditations that help open that up...

When I go into the bathroom and look into the mirror, I see someone looking back at me with the back of his Tshirt pulled on top of his head saying "I am the great Cornholelio...I need TP for ...." well you know the rest.

When I look in the mirror, all I see is a 38 year old Mexican guy.....

Seriously, this thread is wierd.

Kick it up a magnitude: next time you are lucid dreaming, find a mirror and stare at yourself in the dream.

Or if you cant find a mirror, close your dream-eyes and see what happens.

In any event, beware the Demon of Intellectualization.

balloon

Some animals do not understand that in a mirror he sees just a reflection of him, so some animals can bark at his reflection thinking that it is another living being. If we look at a mirror, of course we understand this, but we can pay attention to our reflection, observe our eyes, expression, and we can get an impression that it is aware of us. It is just a psychologic thing, but it is interesting to know that the reality of what we see is created by us, it is not a characteristic from the mirror itself.

Now think of the world outside the mirror, its nothing more than images like in the mirror, but all the sense of reality we associate to it that makes it distinct from the "non-real" world of the mirror, is a psychologic thing too, it is our characteristic not one from the world itself. It is us who make the world real, it is our mind that gives the sense of reality to the world, classifying it as real.

Originally posted by Mindship
Kick it up a magnitude: next time you are lucid dreaming, find a mirror and stare at yourself in the dream.

Or if you cant find a mirror, close your dream-eyes and see what happens.

In any event, beware the Demon of Intellectualization.

balloon Have you done this???

yes

Originally posted by Mindship
yes Hmmmmm too bad I don't have enough lucid dreams to try it out..

Funny...I'm suppose to be asking that! Ask yourselves this question...Why do we ask? Simple, because you are not here self willingly, you did not bring yourself, you did not create yourself and you do not cause your continuity.

i dont know what i see when i look in the mirror... every mirror i look into shows a different image...

and im not on any drugs or anything...

Originally posted by KPrince
This happens to me a lot, and it is the strangest thing. Have you ever stood in front of a mirror and looked at the image staring back at you? We take for granted what we are sometimes, and when we decide to take note of what we are, we look at it based on other people's opinions. Now put that aside, go to a mirror, and look at yourself. Ignore the clothes you wear or the jewellery and make up, just look at yourself and think about what your eyes are in relation to you. What the structure that is called the body is in relation to you. It's scary sometimes when I think about it because the body feels like a shell sometimes, just an outer casing for something more, something unseen by the world, by your own eyes. What are you? Who are you based on what you are? Are who you are and what you are related? Are they dependent on one another? If not why?

I'm basically the product of my mom and dad love. I'm also a person who wants to know, learn, and educate myself. I'm simply a person that works to provide the necesity of life style (i.e. food, shelter, cloths...) I'm here and now. I won't be here 2000 years from now. I'll be long gone and not remenber. That's all...

Originally posted by WrathfulDwarf
I'm basically the product of my mom and dad love. I'm also a person who wants to know, learn, and educate myself. I'm simply a person that works to provide the necesity of life style (i.e. food, shelter, cloths...) I'm here and now. I won't be here 2000 years from now. I'll be long gone and not remenber. That's all...

Wow! I'm surprised that people still find this thread interesting. Thank you for all of your responses.

Originally posted by Quiero Mota
When I look in the mirror, all I see is a 38 year old Mexican guy.....

Seriously, this thread is wierd.

Yes it is weird, sometimes I get poetic.

I posted this thread because I wanted to know how many people have thought about things of this sort.

I think this thread is very interesting. The way I look at it is that what we see in the mirror is only a shell, and maybe sometimes we get a glimpse or epiphany of this.

The only thought that ever comes to mind when I look in the mirror is.

"Damn Jonathan your one ugly fekker."

Originally posted by Jonathan Mark
The only thought that ever comes to mind when I look in the mirror is.

"Damn Jonathan your one ugly fekker."

And it only gets worse as you get older.

A godseed, but then, this is how I see everyone (or try to). The bad guys just have an especially thick husk.

now i feel sad.....
i see a mass of tissue with an electric current being forced onto the ground by an implied froce :gravity (as its excepted)

I suggest you buy some of the best weed you can get and try this again... A warning though when i done this I was just going to the toilet and I looked in the mirror, I found it very traumatic it was like this different person staring back at me, I really don't know how to explain it and yes I started crying like a baby . I dunno what happened tbh, drugs will mess with your brain kids.

What do i see...

I see a man.

A man full of rage , hatred , distrust , paranoia and arrogance.

I see the face of an angry god, able to wreak terror and destroy as easy as it is to crush a mere paper cup. A man capable of the darkest deeds known to mankind , a soulless evil creature.

Yet i also see a fragile man , a soft fleshy husk with a sad clown smile on his face, realising life is but a brief sequence of events. He realizes their is no light within this pitch black storm. No cloud with a silver lining. Yet remains with a slight grin throughout it all.

In essence i see myself.

When i look in a mirror, i see a fine specimen of humanly godtitude with a physically divine essence . . . .


























. . . . god i'm a monkey .

Originally posted by debbiejo
This is cool...I know what you are saying.....I've often done the same...It's like a shell...like it's not really real....and really it's not in the sense that it's not eternal...it is a shell...what's real is the essence of your spirit..IMO....Cool realization......And I thought I was the only one who had bizarre thoughts like that. Same here^.I think this is question we will never truely find an answer for.

Originally posted by KPrince
What are you?
Who are you based on?
Are who you are and what you are related?
Are they dependent on one another?
If not why?

I am a human being looking for purpose.

If I understand the question correctly, I am a being based on carbon compositions...

No, because who I am is a perception, what I am is a fact...

Nope. My idea of who I am is not dependant of what I am. However, they are dependant on one another for function. I guess that kind of makes them same....but yet they're different....at least I get it...


In short, what I am trying to say is, the brain is composed of two central mind sets: the "creative" and the "logical". These two sets, when in harmony, allow you to perceive the world and it's anomalies without a flawed conception. But these two halves of a whole are usually unaligned and off center. This causes the user to think in different forms or ideas about themselves or the world around them. For example, at times I show an uncanny ability to be extremely cold and rash in some situations, but maybe a few seconds later I'll be very caring and compassionate that I would sooner harm myself than the subject.

What I guess you are experiencing is the logical side kicking in. Yes I said logical because you are beginning to look at yourself for who/what you truly are, and not what you perceive (creativity) to be. This then makes you realize that, in fact, your body (the shell) is the reality. When you separate the two (creativity and logic) you feel the incompleteness of the two halves. Of course all of this is clearly theoretical and the coalition of opinions of mine. None of these are dogmas or laws, so you can take them as you see fit...

Originally posted by StrangeDays
Actually, a really cool meditation to try is;
get a candle (at night) put it on the floor in front of a mirror. Sit on the floor cross-legged and stare at your reflection.
It is fun and you can see all sorts of things.
But in the end, I found anyway, my image disappeared and there was no me. It was very cool!!!
and I swear I am not a vampire

You should look up Neurotheology. There's the theory that meditation, prayer, and certain spatial awareness situations can shut off a portion of your brain that messes with your awareness and consciousness, effectively giving you out of body experiences, or messing with your senses.

What I am and who I am are completely different entities. One can not look at me and see who I am, and anyone who thinks that they can needs a CT scan. I hate being judged by what I am because the judgement passed is never correct. Just because I could whoop your ass doesn't mean that I will.

Who I am has not shaped what I am, but, rather, it is the other way around. Sad to say it, but what I am seems to have shaped who I am. I wish that I could become outwardly the person that I am inside, but I can't. I've lived this way for too long; I'm taking baby steps towards who I want to be, but the steps are hardly noticeable. I'm trying to make who I am have an impact on what I am, but what I am does not seem to change. If you gave me a video tape of my life, I would cringe. I am not happy with what I am or the way I act. Hopefully I can change all of this with time.

I do not what to know fully who I am. I get scared and become empty every time I move towards doing so. I do not like being frightened, and I have scarce few friends as it is; I don't need to scare potential ones away by not caring.

Originally posted by AOR
For example, at times I show an uncanny ability to be extremely cold and rash in some situations, but maybe a few seconds later I'll be very caring and compassionate that I would sooner harm myself than the subject.
I can't think of one time in my experience, short and limited though it has been, when you have showed great compassion towards someone else.