One of Micheal Jackson’s finest ballads, Man in the Mirror tells us to look around and reflect. The song explores our identity and relationship with the civil society at large. It reminds us, especially in such toxic times that we need to become better version of ourselves, and practice the lost art of empathy, without taking sides.

I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change

The man still exists, looking for his lost way, but the mirror he needs to look into has simply vanished. Are we so afraid to find out what lies beneath? Is it so bad to realize that everything that is wrong begins with us? Does the fact that we will no longer have anyone to blame spook us to this extreme?

tere baare main jab sochaa nahi tha,
main tanha tha magar itna nahi tha
(when I hadn’t thought about you,
I was lonely but not as much as I am now)

teri tasvir se hoti thi baaten,
mere kamre main aaieenaa nahi tha
(I would often have a conversation with your photograph,
My room didn’t have a mirror)

~Jagjit Singh

What we find in the mirror is a private moment, much like unrequited love. But does that mean we can become a bitter version of ourselves? Time to get the mirror back in place!