The Reflection
A mirrored reflection of a 100 year old tree is quite powerful. The branches standing tall duplicated in the water speaks to me. Its compelling and righteous leaves leave a plopping sound on the water, marrying the algae. I just feel such a connection to this swamp. It reminds me of the pond behind my house and the fact I can’t see any wildlife makes this more interesting. The water is still showcasing how peaceful and welcoming it is. However the contrast of the dangers of still water like amoebas or unicellular organisms make this image a great threat to human life so it’s so beautiful to observe this image from afar. This viewing just reminds me that something can be beautiful without being safe. Something can appear peaceful without being harmless.
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The water to some people may be a fearful trigger to their nervous system for example because they can’t swim, they or someone they know experienced drowning or they have megalophobia. Or someone viewing this is like me and sees a peaceful yet dangerous body of water because of my knowledge of still water and infiltrations of unicellular organisms. This is all to say that perspective shapes the environments we experience. What appears peaceful to one person may evoke fear in another. Our memories, knowledge, experiences, and even our nervous systems influence how we interpret the world around us. The water itself has not changed. The tree remains standing, its reflection undisturbed, and the surface remains still. Yet every person who encounters this image may experience an entirely different reality.
Perhaps that is the beauty of reflection. We are not simply observing the world before us; we are also observing the world within ourselves.
