Likes and Follows

The mirror showed a reflection that wasn't my own. It was a Reddit thread full of haters whom I have never heard of, spoken to, or spoken of in real life, let alone on any other social media platforms.

Who were these faceless trolls with a profile image of a cartoon character? Why do they enjoy lurking in these online spaces making fun of me as if I was the worst enemy in their day to day lives?

Who hurt them?!

Because, it is my belief, that hurt people hurt people. And it is direly unfortunate that these people are obviously very, very hurt. Some kind of childhood wounds and abandonment issues? Some form of parental or caretaker neglect in their upbringing?

There's plenty of other people who've experienced similar wounds and chosen to rise up above it, rise up and be strong in life, continuing to be reaching and achieving for themselves rather than dragging anyone else down.

This isn't a mirror about me per se, this is a mirror that is reflecting our current society.

Maybe they had a bad day at work with their boss or their coworkers. Maybe they had some really bad experiences with very brutal customers. And then, they start scrolling Tik Tok, Twitter, browsing YouTube or any other apps, and then they see my face? Hear my voice, my jokes, the way I talk -- oh, it's just rubbing them the wrong way! It is so annoying! It is far too triggering.

Off they go into the dungeons on Reddit, "Does anyone else feel so irritated by that voice?!"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

A few people agree. Validation, right there. Faceless, nameless validations. Recognitions that their boss or coworkers might never give. Recognitions that those awful customers were never going to acknowledge.

If it's not work, it could have been a relationship. It could have been a partner, kids, family and friends -- our everyday lives with real people all around us. Things not going our way. People not getting it, hurt feelings swept under the rug.

Scroll, scroll, scroll...

"Isn't there something so ridiculous about the way that influencer does her hair?!"

"Look at all these hypocrisies!"

"What a Loser!"

How fun to take that all out on me. How fun to point outwards, rather than truly looking within.

The very same fandom, "I used to love her content, now she's so disappointing."

Of course she is, she is, after all, a human being.

The mirror shows us our Shadows. But equally dangerous is the mirror with too much praise.

Those projecting with the highest of esteem.

"Oh my God, she is absolute perfection! How is she such a Goddess?! I LOVE HER SO MUCH."

The glorification, the adulation.

Whatever goes up, must eventually come down... according to the laws of gravity.

This mirror is too heavy. The weight is overbearing.

How? How can we find any peace?

Scroll, scroll, scroll...

Delete, delete, delete...

Merchants using these mirrors for financial gain. "Ahah! Rage farming!" That is the new Gold Rush of our Technological Age.

Gaslight. Gatekeep. Rinse and repeat.

"What about a mirror with LED lights?!"

Every single comment is a part of this metaphorical ring light. You can change the bulbs, you can delete and block some. You can highlight and respond to others, agreeing with the reflection that you want to magnify.

Some Witches believe that mirrors can be portals into other realms. These digital mirrors are already serving. Portals into the human collective's psyche.

"Just be grateful that you even have a reflection," says a washed-out, has-been D-list celebrity. "They used to talk like that about me, but now I'm irrelevant, and there isn't a mirror for me."