How often do you look in the mirror? Apparently men look more often and women look for longer. And when you look, what is reflected back? Do you see a dearly beloved child of God?
A story:
“See yourself for a shekel!” A boy in the market is holding a tiny piece of mirror, encouraging people to look at their faces for one shekel (about 20p).
He is making a living by offering a very rare service. I have not seen my face since I arrived in Rafah, many weeks ago. You can’t buy mirrors any more. Anyway, a mirror is something you forget about in this situation. How you look doesn’t matter.
I ask him: “Do you make money this way?”
He tells me he does. “Lots of people want to see themselves,” he says. “I make 30 shekels a day, or more. “But you see him?” The boy points to a man down the street walking away from us.
“He looked at his face, but gave the mirror back to me without paying. I’m not stopping him, though. He had a cut from his face all the way down to his chest, a long, horrible cut, not healed well at all. I think it was from shrapnel. He looked at his big, ugly scar and when he gave me back the mirror I saw he was crying, so I let him go.”
I took the boy’s mirror and looked at my face. It’s got very skinny. I have no mirror for shaving, so the stubble on my chin is all uneven, some bits longer than other bits. I’m a mess. I did not cry. I gave the child two shekels and continued walking.
Hossam Al-Madhoun, February 18, 2024 (The New European)
Chris Dawson