Since the Middle Ages, humanity has embarked on a centuries-long quest for utopia. Some believe it exists, while others, in response, have proposed the concept of "dystopia."

Yet, when we scale these ideals down to our size, utopia becomes like a mirror—one that controls.

Sociologist Charles Cooley once wrote, "Our interactions within social groups shape our self-concept. How we see ourselves is a reflection of how others see us; their judgments and attitudes act as a 'mirror'."​

If we stare into this mirror too long, we begin to doubt. "Is this really who I am?" "Should I have done that?" "Will this make others reject me?" The longer we gaze, the deeper we fall into it, into an idealized version of ourselves. But even if we become this so-called "utopian" self, we might discover something unexpected...​

Perhaps, when we shatter the mirror, the fragments at our feet can be rearranged into a stained kaleidoscope of colors, reflecting not who we should be, but who we truly are.