The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily 1446: Mistake by Heather Christle
Jan 30, 2026
A reflection on how we see faces and life in inanimate objects. A look at niche social feeds that reveal surprising patterns. An exploration of pareidolia and moments when grief is misapplied to things. A poem that finally names a subtle, unsettled feeling.
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Pareidolia Explains Face-Seeking
- Humans are hardwired to detect faces and living forms in inanimate objects through pareidolia.
- This tendency extends from tree bark to buildings because our minds evolved before built environments.
The Word Reveals The Phenomenon
- Pareidolia stems from Greek roots para (beside) and eidolon (image), linking ancient perception to modern misrecognition.
- The term frames why we project living forms onto nonliving patterns and objects.
Grief For Mistakenly Seen Creatures
- Maggie Smith recounts mistaking objects for dead animals on highways and feeling surplus grief.
- She describes not knowing where to put that excess grief until offering it to the poem's audience.