Un-image

Un-image the image to seek higher paths

On my quest to discern the simplicity of life, I have apprehended the importance of "looking at the world".

In my view, there are two ways to look at it – first, look through eyes (in the literal sense) and second to look through vision (or become insightful and find what others fail to apprehend). We need both perspectives to comprehend life's meaning and to evolve as true immaculate beings.

One of the critical blocks which hinders our view is the image we’ve built for ourselves and others. People we interact with (or in general the Society) mold us in many ways, possibly more than we realize – from our interactions to others' perception, it all reflects on our personal development and to reflection of self-worth.

We are social beings and live-in society, so getting accepted to it …becoming a loving piece of its daily set up… is our utmost priority. Despite recent trends and the basic realization of how superficial or irrational it is to care about other people’s opinions, trying to maintain a positive social image is a natural, normal, and radical human motive. Humans need to be accepted in their society to survive.

Image, as defined by Merriam Webster, is a mental picture or impression of something. It is a mental conception held in common by members of a group and symbolic of a basic attitude and orientation.

We all carry some conceptions of worldly things with us and define meaning to the world accordingly. But to dig deeper for the true essence of meaning, we first have to un-image from our existing norms.

Our self-growth is promptly related to how flexible are we to change prevailing thoughts and how daringly we can challenge those of others in the utmost humble way.

Had it been to Jane Austen worried about her image, she would have not left footprints in history. Her life is the story of fighting with the "normal norms" of her times. 

Jane Austen had inscribed six novels, which often explored the dependence of women on marriage in the pursuit of favorable social standing and economic security. However, little is found in her life. As written on Wikipedia- "...there is little biographical information about Jane Austen's life except for the few letters that survived and the biographical notes her family members wrote. During her lifetime, Austen may have written as many as 3,000 letters, but only 161 survived. Many of the letters were written to Austen's older sister Cassandra, who in 1843 burned the greater part of them and cut pieces out of those she kept. Ostensibly, Cassandra destroyed or censored her sister's letters to prevent their falling into the hands of relatives and ensuring that "younger nieces did not read any of Jane Austen's sometimes acid or forthright comments on neighbors or family members”. Cassandra believed that in the interest of tact and Jane's penchant for forthrightness, these details should be destroyed."

Life reveals to those who chose to walk on rare paths or to those who walk on a common path with a unique viewership of their surroundings.