Pareidolia Is Running Rampant!

I Will Learn to Speak Camel If You Can’t Be With the Plankton You...

Pareidolia Is Running Rampant!

[The Thinker. A tree somewhere. Source: Google Search.]

All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.

~~Edgar Allan Poe

{Note: This post is meant to highlight an interesting aspect of how some people perceive the world around them. In no way is it intended to disparage or ridicule anyone’s beliefs.}

I often dive into the corners of the internet when I get bored, or lazy, or just plain curious. I stumbled across a term, probably in some list of obscure and rarely-used words, that made me sit up and pay attention. The word Pareidolia is loosely defined as the perception of a recognizable image where none exists or is intended. In other words, some people see images that are meaningful to them…and only them. Think of how things were when we were young. The natural world provided imagery and visual icons that kept us on our backs in the grass of a backyard looking up. Yes, I’m referring to the hours staring at Cumulus and Cumulonimbus clouds that were more than just visible water vapor drifting across the azure sky. I used to see castles, dragons, horses, cats and people in the puffy clouds. Our imaginations knew no boundaries as we made worlds in the air above us.

Sometime in the early 1990s I asked a fellow teacher for a book recommendation. He said that he enjoyed Carl Hiaasen. Hiaasen is a columnist for a major Miami newspaper. He also wrote bestselling novels about the vagaries of Florida politics and business interests. The books were very funny (I recommend that you read one or two) and they sadly described the increasing destruction of the Florida habitats, swamps and wildlife in favor of big business. I lived in the state for a short time and can attest to the slow demise of the once beautiful natural places as condo construction was outpacing conservation. But that’s another story for another blog.

In one novel, Hiaasen describes how a guy looked at an oil stain in his driveway. He was convinced that the image of the Virgin Mary was obvious to all. And he became quite rich by charging people (pilgrims?) $15.00 to visit his house and see the miracle. I thought it was a very funny episode in the novel’s narrative. Then, recently, I came upon the aforementioned word and after doing a little searching, I found several images that were perfect examples of seeing something in everyday objects. I am going to share a few of these images. Some of them are interesting in their own right. Some are a bit of a stretch by any definition.

So, sit back and look these over. What do you see?

[I believe this is a Kit Kat bar. Some people see the face of Christ in the bitten off end. Source: Google Search.]

[This photo is of a building. Many claim that the reflection in the glass (I assume it’s glass) is that of Christ. Source: Google Search.]

[Still another image of the face of Christ. This time on a banana. Source: Google Search.]

[Probably the biggest stretch is seeing Christ’s face on a grilled cheese sandwich. Source: Google Search.]

These images were easy to find on the internet. The theme, of course, is religion. The next set of photos are taken from nature. This includes the Thinker Tree at the top of the post. Here are a few more:

[A smiley face on Mars? (it may be the moon, I lost track of the location). Source: Google Search.]

At this point, I should interject that as a long time science teacher, I do not find any significance in finding faces, etc., in natural formations. It’s geology. Here are two of the most famous examples of pareidolia that I could find. I’m sure you will recognize one or two.

[The Old Man in the Mountain. Located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, this famous landmark collapsed on May 3, 2003. It’s a rock formation and nothing more. Source: Google Search.]

I’ve saved the best for last. This NASA photograph of a crater on Mars has been the stuff that has driven conspiracy theorists to new heights:

[The famous Face on Mars. No matter how many times NASA scientists have debunked the theories, it still trends on the Internet as an example of ET activity on the Red Planet. Don’t be fooled. When the same feature is photographed from a different angle or at another time of day, the face vanishes. Source: NASA.]

There you have it. My small collection of interesting photos. I know where I stand with all this. What about you, dear reader? What do you see? Can you trust your eyes? Do you have a vivid imagination?

I invite comments.