Reflections on the Day

By Dayvid Clarkson

      Tonight is very long and if you don’t have time to read then sleep well, dream deep my Friends.

      I remember the first time I heard my ‘recorded voice’. When I was about ten or eleven a friend of mine brought over a cassette tape recorder. We were going to record songs off the radio. Yea, Yea, and dinosaurs lived just a few houses down. The point is, we obviously recorded our own voices and even tried to sing a little. When I heard my recorded voice for the first time I was absolutely shocked. That was not my voice. It sounded nothing like my voice. I asked my friend if that sounded like me and he responded in the affirmative. There was no way that was my voice or even remotely how I sounded. Later on, I would play and sing, mostly backup, in a number of bands. Again every time I heard my voice an overwhelming wellspring of cognitive dissonance would wash over me. That is not how I sound.

      To complicated matters further throughout my life I have been told, on numerous occasions, that I have a ‘radio’ voice. I have been approached to do audio books and guided meditation tapes. One particular instance stands out. During my banking life, I would speak to a number of different people in office hierarchies. I had been conversing on a regular basis with one particular woman who worked at an office that provided us with appraisals. The normal course was to fax a copy of an appraisal followed by the original via snail mail. This one particular time she insisted on hand delivering the appraisal. When she arrived at the office she asked to speak to me. As I approached her she said, “You are not Clarkson.” I assured her I was. She was quite flustered at this point. She stammered, “No, your voice. You are supposed to be tall, dark, and handsome.” Well to her dismay I wasn’t but the voice.

      I did not hear what others heard in my voice. To me, my recorded voice was alien to me. Now there might be some scientific reasons for the difference such as how our ears receive our own voice or resonance within the cranium. Regardless I did not hear myself as others hear me. And I did not hold my voice with any esteem as others did.

      Now I know this is getting long but bear with me. The foregoing also applies to our physical appearance.

      When we look in a mirror or see our reflections in windows what we are seeing is not what others see. As the recording is a mirror of our voices so are the reflections we use to assess our appearance. Now add the filters of 'ideal' that have been ingrained by the media. We do not measure up. Keep in mind these images you see of ‘ideal’ are presented after hours of makeup, custom tailored expensive clothing, great photographers, and great photoshoppers. This is your measuring stick. This is not the norm. Hell Tom Cruise is 5’5” he’s shorter than me for fack sakes. I have never seen myself as ‘good looking’. The filters that I have acquired have left me unable to see my true inner beauty. And likewise, these same filters have hindered me in seeing the inner beauty of others. The filters have become so ingrained. I see a man wearing old loafers and no socks then think homeless or poor. I see a native and think dirty and drunk. I see a woman with purple hair, tattoos, and piercing and think weirdo or slut. These notions are so deeply rooted that they appear unannounced and uninvited. And do not tell the world you are not judgmental; at very best you will judge and hopefully correct yourself, but you will judge first.

      Sadly some will accept the first impression as they have been taught. Through an open heart and open mind, the ‘Observer’ corrects these impressions and I work to see the inner beauty. I listen to folks say such platitudes that appear to discard the physical impression or judgement yet I suspect the first impressions would be similar to mine. “I don’t care what a person looks like on the outside!” As they hurry to comb their hair or put on makeup. Wear the latest trends and don’t forget to show the labels. “I buy all my clothes at the Thrift Store!” That’s wonderful as you look for the latest styles to be able to afford them.

      I guess I really don’t have a point nor do I have any answers. What I am working on is trying to remove the filters that society has put over my eyes. These filters lead me to uninformed and often incorrect judgements. They preclude me from getting to know folks on a truly spiritual level.

      And some will say, ‘You are singing to the Choir.” and others will say, “You are not telling me anything new.”. That’s okay as well. I have heard it all before as well it is just now that I am starting to understand that I have a lot more work to do than I originally thought. Maybe someday I will see my inner beauty and hear that wonderful voice. May you as well.

      Sleep well, dream deep my Friends. Humble bow, Dayvid.

Dayvid Bruce Clarkson's post.
Oct 26, 2017 12:23am