Mirrors, then, are truly "dings" in the sense of the greek etymology (the word "thing" comes from "ding," which means "gathering"). Our mythical beliefs about beauty, age, gender, race, class, hygiene and our multitude of related identities are all present when we use this object to project our bodies as symbols of our inner selves.
This conclusion is dedicated to the mirror's functionality of symbolic self-reference, as a power that extends beyond the limits of what is usually signified by the word "mirror." If the referent, the self-image, the idea of projected identity, is where the true meaning of the mirror resides, then we are all living mirrors because there are ways that we try to project ourselves onto others, and see glimpses of ourselves in them.
This idea extends across a wide philosophical and pyschological platform. On the basis of aesthetic alone, there are ways that people are inspired by others to wear certain clothing, use certain words, or make certain gestures. People adopt the aesthetic of others because one subject is able to look at another and, in that other subject's personal front, identify with certain symbols or affectations.
On a related but much more intimate level, mirrors are also symbols for empathy. This derives from the isolation of the human condition, whereby our commonalities are based essentially on faith; I am not able to directly experience the internal life of another person, but part of what affirms for me that my emotions and inner life are commensurate with another's is that I am able to see parts of myself in that person. When someone else is reacting to love, jealousy, or sadness, for example, I feel empathy because I recognize something in that reaction. I can observe in others that which constitutes myself, and when that happens, I am metaphorically gazing into a mirror where my reflection is an affirmation that we are, together, unmistakably human. All of this takes place on a physical level, through my perception of another person's gestures, facial expressions, sounds- the mirror only provides a sensory image. It's up to me to make the leap, to believe that the image does indeed contain some real meaning.
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