PRAISE AND THANKS

Hail Mary, full of grace
The Lord is with thee
Blessed art thou amongst women
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus
Holy Mary, Mother of God
Pray for us sinners
Now and at the hour of our death

Amen


Thank you, Christ Jesus and Blessed Mother, for your blessings and love.

THE LOOKING-GLASS WORLD

"Truth is perception and perception is everything."

-- A certain lady

Look at the above image. What do you see? Notice anything awry? Most people don't. Most people see precisely what they expect to see.

Now look again.

Aha!

You see it, yet you hadn't at first. You had been conditioned to see things a certain way. What is fact and what is perception and how are they distinguished? How much of what we believe we know is simply a function of what we know we want to believe? We live with this conundrum every day of our lives, but most of us choose not to question it because it's easier that way. What is more, we never stop to think of how it impacts all that we see and do-- everything from the choice of a lover...


to the choice of a president.

The magician knows this about the human mind and exploits it every time.

So does the politician.

This is the central issue that I have chosen to explore. I feel its effect every day-- those vast, multifarious and conflicting impressions that shape the interactions of our world. It is my belief that we live in a Looking-glass World: most of what we perceive is the opposite of what it truly is. Those they tell you are heroes are often villains, but in a world of media saturation, where image is king, we are wowed by charm, swayed by beauty.Twas ever thus, I know. However, the world is a much smaller place and the impact of such misperception is greater and wider than it has ever been.

This is just an introductory thought. Perceive it as you will. We're all through the looking-glass anyway.