Life Lessons: Things Can Be Fascinating

When we talk about illusions, we often hear the saying, “The moon in the water, the flowers in the mirror.” The moon seen in water and the flowers in the mirror are both unreal. Mirrors and water are truly fascinating.

When we stick a chopstick straight into water, the part of the chopstick we see bent in the water—this itself is an illusion. The same is true with mirrors. Years ago, funhouse mirrors were popular, making people appear taller, fatter, or shorter. This is also an illusion. Many stores like to add large mirrors to make a small space appear larger, but this is also an illusion.

Going even further, the distant galaxies we see with space telescopes are not visible to the naked eye; they can only be seen through infrared or ultraviolet light. The human eye has very limited vision.

What we see isn’t necessarily real, and what we don’t see isn’t necessarily unreal. Letting go of the obsession with “seeing is believing” may reveal the true world. Then, perhaps we will be amazed by the truth and realize that everything is as it is.