Presumably vanity has existed as long as we have, though our self awareness didn’t only come from viewing our own faces in the still water of a river or bowl, but, and perhaps more powerfully, from our loved ones, our community. 

Kierkegaard referred to the Reflective Age (or The Present Age — the 1840’s in which he lived) as lacking passion and decisiveness. He saw a world of excessive reflection where everything was equally interesting, ironic and provisional.

Conversely, Taoism refers to a perfect mind that is like a mirror: it grasps nothing, refuses nothing, it receives but does not keep.

Untapped reflection has a hidden opacity. Let our mirrors contain some translucence: a subject and a witness.

Alluring — Herbal — Unraveling