Seeing ourselves.

So I was told recently that on a zoom meeting, your own video feed is reversed, because (apparently) people find it easier to see themselves as they see themselves in the mirror, rather than as others see themselves.

I was reminded of this in Meeting this morning, as there is a clock in the background, which is backwards as I see it.

Others, of course, see my video the correct way around.

The way we see ourselves is not the way that others see the us. That is very true - not just in online meetings. Our own perception of ourselves is not the same as others see us, maybe not completely reversed, but different - because seeing ourselves as others see us is disturbing. We prefer to see ourselves differently.

I think there is an interesting conclusion here: sometimes we need to believe what others see in us, what others say about us. Sometimes, other people see us better than we see ourselves.

So you sit in a silent Zoom meeting?

I have been asked a couple of times how we do Quaker Meeting for worship online. "Do you have a zoom meeting and mute everyone?" - well, yes.

Is it peculiar? Yes. But then, a normal Quaker meeting is odd, if you think about it. We go to a place, and sit in silence. And yet, as many testify, this is a powerful time, a time of deep spirituality, of engagement with the divine.

So yes, we sit in silence, looking at a computer screen. It is a strange thing to do, but then engagement with the divine is a strange thing to experience. At a time when it is difficult to separate work and home, being at home and spending time quietly contemplating divinity is powerful. And - in my personal experience - is also helpful. It helps to have a time of calm and peace. It helps to bring this into the home/work.

Thin places

There was an interesting comment about thin places in the meeting today. Thin Places are from Celtic spirituality, and are places where people have experienced the presence of the divine. There are some well known places - like Glastonbury - that are traditionally known as thin places.

But it struck me in the meeting (and I ministered along these lines) that what makes a place "thin" is not the divine presence. What I have been experienced is that what makes a place thin is us - our presence. It is about our involvement, and about our ability to see the divine in wherever you are.

In lockdown, the strange blurring of home/work/church/whatever can make it really hard to find the divine in any of these places (and as they are all one, that is difficult). But if it is us who makes hte difference, then we can find the Thin Place wherever we are. It might be - who knows - that we can find the divine in our work places when we return to them.

That could be a revelation.