If you take an inventory of the people in your life, you will find a very interesting, common quality. Our perception of each one of them is truly unique and actually unshared by anyone else. By way of example, there is no one else in the world who perceives the multi-dimensional aspects of my close friend Ira in the way that I do. His wife, children, and other close friends each have a very different perception of who he is and what he represents. No two perceptions are the same. And, that is by design..
Everyone we encounter is a reflection of ourselves in some way.
The people we interact with serve as mirrors, showing us aspects of ourselves that we may not be fully aware of. They are capable of reflecting our beliefs, desires, and unresolved issues. As a result, our relationships, by mirroring our internalizations offer introspection for growth and expansion.
Have you ever met someone, and from the moment they opened their mouths you just really didn’t like them at all? Their personality just rubbed you the wrong way and pissed you off? Alternatively, is there someone in your life that you just connect with, that just understands you and your brand of humor, your persona from the instant you met them? I have had both experiences. And, I have often felt that the response to both interactions might be rooted in a fascinating concept offered by a brilliant physicist, David Bohm. More than just a physicist, David Bohm was committed to understanding the fundamental nature of human consciousness and the world. This can be seen in the deep intellectual and spiritual friendship he developed with Jiddu Krishnamurti, over the span of 25 years until his death in 1986. Jiddu, was a renowned philosopher, speaker and spiritual teacher and according to the Theosophical Society of Adyar was the long-awaited “Maitreya” or messiah. During his adolescence, The Theosophical Society of Adyar, seeing great potential in him, took responsibility for his education and spiritual upbringing. However, as Krishnamurti grew older and matured, he began questioning the structures and beliefs imposed upon him and in 1929 renounced the role of being a messianic figure. Krishnamurti then embarked on an independent path of inquiry and teaching which emphasized the importance of self-inquiry, observation, and the direct perception of truth.
David Bohm, in addition to his work with Albert Einstein and quantum theory, pioneered the idea that we exist in a “holographic universe”. To understand this idea, it is important to first know what a hologram is. A hologram is a three-dimensional image formed by the interference of light waves projected from information on a two-dimensional surface. Simply, by shining a laser at a two-dimensional surface encoded with, let’s say flower information, we create a holographic image of a flower. But, unlike a traditional photograph of a flower, our flower appears to have depth, allowing the viewer to perceive it as a solid object or scene. As such, different perspectives of the flower can be observed from different angles. When the viewer moves around the flower, they can see different views of the object, as if they were looking at a real flower from various angles. But, wait. There’s more! What makes the hologram idea so profound, is that each part of the image contains the information for the entire hologram. By way of example, if you cut the holographic flower in half, the information is still present to reconstruct the entire flower. Further, an individual petal of the flower contains all of the information to recreate the entire flower.
And so, that is why all this holographic science stuff directed David Bohm to a profound insight, which was interconnectedness. And here is why. According to the principle, every point in space contains information about the entire universe. This implies that there is an inherent interconnectivity among all points in space, and therefore, among all things in the universe. Since, in a hologram, each part contains the complete information to reconstruct the whole image, similarly, in the holographic universe, each point in space holds the information necessary to describe the entirety of the universe.
This means that seemingly separate entities or objects in our experience are interconnected at a fundamental level.
The information encoded on one point in space is intertwined with the information encoded on other points, creating a network of interrelationships. Simply, every point in space contains information about the entire cosmos, implying that everything is fundamentally interconnected.
Back to our questions. Have you ever met someone, and from the moment they opened their mouths you just really didn’t like them at all? Their personality just rubbed you the wrong way and pissed you off? Alternatively, is there someone in your life that you just connect with, that just understands you and your brand of humor, your persona from the instant you met them? Well, if you have then you have experienced interconnectedness, which refers to the state of being interconnected or interconnected relationships between various elements, entities, or systems. It suggests that everything is interconnected and that there are relationships, dependencies, or influences between different parts of a whole. (ChatGPT) You are as connected to the person you revile as you are to your soulmate. Both are projections of our own thoughts, feelings and judgements.
Furthermore, that person that you revile, has a soulmate. And, that soulmate perceives them in a very different light than you. For you, the person you revile may be triggering emotions around personality traits within yourself that you have come to revile or detest. While your soulmate may trigger emotions around personality traits that you aspire to possess or that you already personify.
We perceive in other’s qualities and characteristics that resonate with our own experiences and self-perception. This process of mirroring can offer insights into our own inner world, helping us to become aware of aspects of ourselves that may be hidden or unconscious.
Here is how I understand it. The person we revile may be mirroring aspects of our own qualities and characteristics that we are not ready to process or buried in our unconscious.
From the holographic perspective, the mirroring of ourselves in others is not just “a surface-level phenomenon but an expression of the deeper interconnectedness of consciousness” (ChatGPT). It suggests that we are not separate individuals but interconnected parts of a larger whole. A “whole” which includes everything from the natural world to the fabric of reality.