The Mirror of Nature and Goodness

Water is the mirror of Nature.  –Francis of Assisi

What happens when you see a person walking toward you unexpectedly get hit in the head by a ball?  Often we react with a cringe, a movement of our hand to our own head, or even with a verbal “ouch”—almost like we ourselves had gotten hit.  The mechanism for that occurrence is the activation of mirror neurons in our brains.  Mirror neurons were discovered in 1994 by a group of Italian scientists in a lucky accident.  They were studying individual neurons in a monkey’s premotor area of the brain, with a computer to monitor which neurons fired when the monkey picked up a peanut or banana.  The researcher noticed that when he was putting food pellets into a box, the computer showed that the monkey’s brain cells were firing, even though the monkey wasn’t moving!  He was watching the researcher move and reacting as if he were picking up the food pellets himself.  Research on mirror neurons continues, but it is now understood that these brain-to-brain links help to explain empathy, learning, imitation, and synchrony.  These brain cells are ‘online’ at birth and are an imperative part of how a baby and caretaker communicate with one another, how they regulate their respective physiologies, and how the baby learns—e.g., cooing and making sounds and words, playing peek-a-boo, facial expressions, and comforting tones and movements.  We are, in essence, programmed to pick up another person’s movements, emotions, and intentions and to make internal adjustments based on what we notice.  We also give clues to others about what is going on inside of us.

After a hot Memorial Day weekend, Tuesday’s storm broke the heat wave and brought us some much-needed rain.  As the storm was ending, the western horizon cleared, and the sun shone through the trees.  I went out the back door with the camera to photograph the colorful sunset, but what caught my attention was the birdbath.  The water in the birdbath was a mirror not only to the colors of the sunset but also a reflection of the wind and remaining raindrops!  It was mesmerizing!

Twenty-two photographs over four minutes of time.  Subtleties of color, shade, tone, and movement.  Each one the same, but different.  Each one mirroring a moment in Nature, reflecting the wind, the rain, and the sunlight.  We exhibit just as many cues and clues in four minutes of our time with subtle movements, facial expressions, muscle tightening, eye contact, voice tone, and posture.  Those around us are picking up those cues and clues via their mirror neurons and reacting to them based on the person’s development history, sense of safety, and state of mind and body (all of which can change the message in profound ways.)  And most of this is happening with little or no conscious awareness.  The challenge is not to be vulnerable to negativity in others, not to meet anger with anger or disdain with disdain, yet at the same time retain the empathy that keeps us connected as social beings.  What a challenge it is.  It does give credence to our moms’ warnings not to hang out with the wrong crowd—we tend to become like the people we choose to be around; she just didn’t know it was because of mirror neurons!  We have an opportunity to positively influence the people around us and the strangers we meet—we can look into their eyes and smile, we can open our hands and our hearts, we can make them feel welcomed, safe, and supported.  Our face and actions can be a mirror of Goodness, and that, dear ones, is mesmerizing.