When I was a child, one of my favorite toys to play with was a View-Master. Do you remember that toy? It looked like oversized square binoculars. It came with a round disc of images that was inserted into the top of the View Master. The user would peer through the eyeholes and hold the View Master toward the light, and a 3D image appeared. Sometimes there was text below the image to explain the scene, like a cartoon. A click of the lever, and the next image would move into view, ultimately telling a short story. A similar but yet quite different toy, or should I say device, since it is enjoyed to this day by both children and adults alike, is the kaleidoscope. This is a tube that looks like a smaller telescope consisting of mirrors that reflect pieces of colored glass. These pieces of glass change shape when the dial at the end is turned right or left while holding the tube to the light. The mirrors reflect the new image, which changes as the dial is turned.
According to Wonderopolis, Sir David Brewster of Scotland created the first kaleidoscope in 1815 while doing experiments on light polarization. It was at first intended to be used as a scientific tool, but it became very popular as a children’s toy when children became mesmerized by the changing colors. Sir David Brewster sold over two hundred thousand kaleidoscopes in just three months! Here are a few interesting facts about kaleidoscopes. The inventor came up with the name by combining several Greek words together, so kaleidoscope literally means “observer of beautiful forms.” Also, you would think that with selling over 200k in just a few months, this little invention would net Sir David Foster a small fortune. Unfortunately, there was an error in his patent application which allowed others to quickly copy his design. Truth be told, I didn’t even realize they had patent protection in the 1800s, so I suppose that is another interesting fact to add. Today, kaleidoscopes still continue to enchant both adults and children and can get quite fancy. There are some that are made of heavier material, such as stainless steel or brass on the exterior tube and contain stained glass on the interior. These would make a beautiful gift for someone. I can picture these sitting upon a shelf in a library amongst other treasures, or on a side table next to a brandy snifter.
Both of these toys are great reminders about how quickly a view can be changed. But as humans, it is not quite as easy as a click of a lever or a turn of a dial to change our perspective. Most of us have deeply ingrained thoughts and feelings about many different things, and we can get locked into a mindset that is difficult to revise after so many years of feeling a certain way. Many of these are called limiting beliefs because they limit or stop someone from pursuing another way of thinking. In the person’s mind they are the absolute truth and cannot be changed.
Some of these beliefs involve things we tell ourselves; like that we’re a failure or not good enough. A poem called “Best Friend” in Gather Seeds of Hope talks about the destructive ways we speak to ourselves. Here is the link to that poem: https://thepracticalpoet.com/best-friend-from-gather-seeds-of-hope/. Other beliefs may involve society or the world at large, or people of other races or social groups or who are, in other words, different than us. But as humans we are constantly evolving and growing, and our mindsets don’t have to be set in stone. We do have the ability to change our views or perspectives if we are open to that change. That may involve some introspection to determine why we feel the way we do or where this belief came from. We may need to learn about people who are different from us so that we can understand things from their perspective, rather than just putting a label on someone or an entire culture. There may be some harsh realities that we have to face, and we may not always like what we dig up when we go a little deeper into our mindsets. So it may not be as easy as a turn of a dial from left to right, as with that kaleidoscope. But with openness and willingness to learn about ourselves and why we feel the way we do, our perspective may be able to change, and the new picture that emerges may be more dynamic and glorious than we ever could have imagined.
Kaleidoscope
I walk into a toy store
And spot a familiar sight.
I put the tube up to my eye
And turn the dial to my right.
I watch the fragments changing shape,
And I’m enamored by their fusion.
The mirrors inside reflect the light,
Creating an optical illusion.
I turn the dial to the left,
And the fragments start to dance.
As I watch them settle into place,
I am lulled into a trance.
I watch them as they situate
And each piece finds its place.
Existing together in harmony,
Occupying the same space.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful
And fill the world with hope
If people could work together
Like pieces in a kaleidoscope?
Each fragment is like a person,
So different and distinct.
Working toward a common goal,
Like a chain joined by a link.
And that goal is to create an image
That is diverse and unique
To give the user new perspective
As through the eyehole they peek.
In this tube there are no egos.
Each piece is allowed to beam
And display its colors brightly
As a member of the team.
No piece is shunned or put aside
As if it does not matter.
For without each colorful, unique piece,
The image would certainly shatter.
Each piece that forms the picture
Has such value and great worth.
The same is true of each person
Who walks upon this earth.
The kaleidoscope can help us
If we get stuck in our ways.
The kaleidoscope can demonstrate
How to refocus our gaze.
Sometimes a little micro shift
Of just an inch or two
Can alter our perspective
And help refresh our view.
At times we create a pattern,
And in that pattern we get stuck.
Just a quick turn of the dial
Can help reshape our luck.
Suddenly the pattern shifts
And the shapes create a new reflection.
It helps us turn our focus
Toward a new direction.
-K.A. Bloch-
