Growing up, Michael Jackon’s songs were a big hit and anyone who used to listen to music of any kind would at least know his famous songs like the Beat it or Black or White; the latter more so because of the famous video where we were introduced to the term or the phenomenon of morphing!
Now one of the best lines or quotes which I remember from MJ songs and I often use it in parts! It is an inspiring song and the lyrics which go like this;
‘I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
And no message could’ve been any clearer
If they wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change’
I often say, ‘At the end of the day, you need to convince only the man (or woman) in the mirror!’
The mirror has been in existence almost as long as humankind though I am sure even animals know their reflection in the still waters; the natural mirror of the world. This as the legend goes may be one of the first mirror which
was formed in the ancient Himalayas when a little water body stopped to rest itself. Then the first woman (man may not have had that much patience!) walked and looking down into the pool was surprised by—another girl!—but that another girl had worn the same attire as she and moved in the ways mimicking her in everyway! Of course she was clever enough to finally realize that it was an reflected (may not be the word she thought!) image of herself!
Still waters and mythology aside, the mirror as object is called “one of mankind’s most consistent civilizers,” bringing a sense of personal reflection and comparative identity.
The earliest man (or woman!) made mirrors were from polished stone and mirrors made form black volcanic glass obsidian. Some also used polished copper to produce mirrors, and often the round face of the mirror would be embellished with ornamentation!
History also suggests of production of polished metal mirrors and mirrors made from polished stone were known.
Some countries began to be mirrors from metal alloys, a mixture of tin and copper called speculum metal that could be highly polished to made a reflective surface as well as mirrors made of polished bronze! Metal alloys or precious metals mirrors were very valuable items in ancient times only affordable to the very wealthy!
Now the development of glass blowing made Glass as the major component of Mirror but because glass is a poor reflector, it must be coated in order to make a mirror. The most appropriate materials for making metallic coatings are silver, gold, and chrome.
In 1835 Justus von Liebig, a German chemist, developed the silvered-glass mirror where a thin layer of metallic silver is put onto glass by the chemical reduction of silver nitrate. The invention of this process enabled to mirrors being manufactured on a much larger scale, and for the first time in history ordinary people could buy a mirror. Present-day mirrors are more frequently produced by depositing aluminum by vacuum directly onto the glass.
Glass sheets are made from silica, which can be mined or refined from sand. When glass is made from natural crystals of silica, it is known as fused quartz. However, if it’s a synthetic glass, then it’s going to be synthetic fused silica. The silica or quartz is melted to an extremely high temperature, where it is then poured or rolled into sheets.
Silver is boiled down to a liquid, and then applied in a thin, even coating to the glass. The liquid silver could also be sprayed on spending on what tools are available. After the silvering process, the mirrors are covered in a protective coating to avoid chips in the reflection, and then polished. If the mirror polishing process isn’t done correctly, there could be waves in the glass which would cause distortion!
So glass and mirrors are basically liquids! Which is why you can see many old ones literally getting melted and thick at the bottom while the top gets thin! Previous mirrors were a work of art and very expensive which only the rich could afford! If you have a full body size mirror in your house now then you are equivalent to a wealthy aristocrat of ancient times! Maybe even a king! King of acting and emotions is the birthday celebrity Nassar who was the only thing worthy to watch in a series called Killer Soup and of course who could forget his amazing character in Bahubali! My favorite movie of him (due to personal reasons!) though is a cute little Tamil movie called Saivam!
No normal human can ever resist the temptation of looking at herself or himself in the mirror when he or she passes by one or is faced with one! Time after time, the mirror is the object which not only reflects your image but also your personality!
Look in the mirror and reflect on your day and tell yourself it will be ok!
Shubh Ratri!
ramadocblog 