Reflections Of A Pond

One might argue that self-examination is just another form of masturbation. That the real value of learning one's self comes from interaction with others. However, could it be that a little masturbation is useful? Could it be that our interconnectedness to others is the very thing tearing our mental state apart?

As I reflect on my life, I'm torn between what could have been and what is now. And the hard part: both are wonderfully exciting to think about. My reflection reminds me of a mountain pond I saw during my summer travels. It captured a mountain ridge so beautifully. With a stillness reserved for that pond, alone, each wildly powerful color and jagged angle of the mountain became magnified. And then a ripple... The mountain that had once been so seemingly perfect, became distorted and fluxed. It was here that I thought of my past, and future - what once was and what is now. And it made me think: who am I? Who are you? Are we all a collection of our memories, or is it something deeper, something more natural? If it is the former, then many of us should be clouded in a deep depression. If our mental reality is part of a more natural state, then the same could be said, or not. More likely, it is a combination of both - our memories and natural state. One is a ripple, the other a reflection of what we hope to be - both exist in the same pond.