I’m standing outside the WW2 War Memorial at Englefield Green, Surrey, reflecting on the incredible sacrifice that the men and women of the RAF gave in the cause of freedom and justice. How can anyone – or anything – convey the suffering and pain endured by these brave people? It’s hard enough to comment as a human… but as a mirror, I don’t even have the power of words at my disposal.What I do have, however, is the ability to reflect
It may surprise you to learn that mirrors like me can enhance emotional environments and increase people’s awareness and understanding.
Let me explain. Emotions are felt and seen; but rarely by the same person at the same time. You can feel happy, sad or confused, but you don’t often watch yourself feeling those things.
Likewise, we often see people in the grips of an emotion – but we rarely feel the same way.
Bring a mirror into the equation, however, and the dynamics change completely. Watching oneself experiencing an emotion is extremely powerful. If you’ve ever caught a glimpse of yourself laughing, crying or shouting, you’ll know exactly what I mean. There can be no doubt that the feeling is exaggerated when it’s witnessed by you, the protagonist.
But back to Englefield Green. The Second World War saw half a million British deaths, and nearly 400,000 casualties. And that’s just the people serving in the Armed Forces. British Civilian deaths totalled nearly 70,000. It’s shocking, bewildering, powerful and tragic: emotions that register differently for each and every person.
As a nation, our pride and resilience simply can’t be challenged. Now that’s something worth reflecting on.
This bespoke design has been created by Decoratif Design for a free consultation contact Steve Driver at steve@decoratifdesign.co.uk
