Is It Oversimplified To State That Others Are Mirrors Of Us?

It may not matter, but, we need an explanation.

It is common to hear or read quotes that explain certain matters in a simplified form. However, due to the simplification, sometimes, meanings can get misinterpreted.

As we may have heard or read about the idea of people being mirrors of ourselves, there may not have been a clear explanation of why it is so. So, from my understanding, it is an explanation of the idea of us being only able to perceive things by referring to our experiences.

Just as a person who usually takes 20 mins to bathe may assume that others will not be as clean if they bathe for only 10 mins. Even though 10 minutes may be enough to become as clean, it can be difficult to make sense out of it without having experienced it through any senses.

For another example, imagine being a duck that met a swan while swimming in the lake. The duck may easily assume that the swan can perform all other stuns that it can just because both of them can swim in the same space when the duck has no prior knowledge about the goose.

Similarly, I can only think through my way of thinking and not through the way of thinking of a duck or swan. Therefore, I can only assume that the way of thinking of the duck is just as limited as mine even if it may not be so.

Hence, it is like others are mirrors of us as all of what we observed from others is just like a reflection of our experiences from them. In other words, whatever that we like or dislike about the things around us is simply a part of us that we like or dislike.

Therefore, be it oversimplified or not, perhaps, the key point is about all of us being only able to see ourselves regardless of what or who we look at. At the same time, the unapparent reflections show us the parts of us that we can choose to accept or deny as we live in the bubble of our experiences.