Mirror, mirror, virtual reflection

My pet parakeet has toys in her cage which have mirrors as their major component. She often pecks at them and makes various noises, usually soft friendly noises to the parakeets in the mirrors. But parakeets are not among the self-aware species, like people, dolphins, monkeys and elephants are; so she thinks the image in the mirror is another being out there.

This morning she was making angry loud squawks at the mirror, however, apparently seeing an intrusive in-your-face angry parakeet there. Squawk! Squawk! she went on and on, one foot holding the mirror's mounting so it could not escape her angry in-your-face activity in return.

So I commented to her that mirrors are indeed curious things.

Her relationships with her buddies in the mirrors could tell her something about herself, if she only understood.

And ... this has an uncomfortable suggestion about relationships even between people. The mirror is between, although being only a virtual mirror; yet is still somehow there only too well. It really looks like "that other person" is expressing something, yet how much of it is only a virtual reflection of ourselves?

... well ... mirrors are helpful too, like when combing one's hair or checking out the attire. That virtual mirror, which is the other person in the relationship, could function similarly. Make the image look nicer.