YOU DON'T KNOW ME

CAN WE EVER MEASURE FEELING OR CONSCIOUSNESS? SOREN KIERKEGAARD, THE DANISH, EXISTENTIALIST THEOLOGIAN, DOESN'T THINK SO. HE POSITED THAT THE TRUE MEANING OF OUR LIVES IS WITHIN US AND LARGELY HIDDEN FROM THE PRYING EYES OF THE OUTSIDE WORLD. HE BELIEVED THAT THE INNER SELF ONLY MAKES SENSE IF IT ESTABLISHES AN ACTIVE RELATIONSHIP TO GOD. UNFORTUNATELY, TODAY, MANY SO-CALLED THINKING PEOPLE WOULD DISAGREE.

HOW CAN WE KNOW WITH CERTAINTY THE RATIONALE AND HATRED BEHIND GERMAN PHILOSOPHER FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE'S ASSERTION THAT 'GOD IS DEAD'? IT CAN ONLY BE SURMISED FROM HIS TRENCHANT WORDS AND ACTIONS CONDEMNING THE HYPOCRISIES OF CHRISTENDOM BEFORE HIS MIND SUCCUMBED TO MADNESS.

HOW DO WE UNDERSTAND THE UNDERLYING MEANING OF THE ENGLISH THINKER HOBBES' OFTEN QUOTED DESCRIPTION OF MAN'S PLIGHT ON EARTH AS "SOLITARY, POOR, NASTY, BRUTISH AND SHORT?" WE CAN ONLY LOOK BEYOND HIS WRITINGS TO HIS BEHAVIOR IN LIFE. HOBBES' WORDS OPENS THE DOOR TO MY OBSERVATIONS THAT I OFTEN FEEL ALONE, REALIZE THAT I DO NOT LIVE THE LIFE OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS, HAVE ALLOWED MYSELF TO PRACTICE NASTY HABITS OR HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO NASTY INFIRMITIES, AM ONLY ONE DNA STEP AHEAD OF THE BRUTES BECAUSE I OFTEN BEHAVE IN A BRUTISH FASHION AND CANNOT DENY THAT MY EARTHLY STAY IS SHORT COMPARED WITH WHAT I HOPE WILL BE A HAPPY AFTERLIFE. BUT MY IDEAS, FEELINGS AND NIGHTMARES ARE NOT MY FRIENDS, MY LOVER'S OR MY NEIGHBORS. THEY ARE UNIQUELY MINE. AS SOAP-OPERA PARTICIPANTS REPEATEDLY REITERATE, "YOU CAN'T CONDEMN ME; YOU DON'T KNOW ME."

SO HOW DO WE MEASURE FEELINGS OR CONSCIOUSNESS? OBVIOUSLY, ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS EVEN THOUGH WORDS ENABLE ACCESS TO IDEAS. BUT THE INNER, SELF WILL NEVER BE FULLY REVEALED. I THINK KIERKEGAARD'S INSIGHT PIERCED TO THE TRUTH. NAKED AND EXPOSED WE ONLY SHARE OURSELVES WITH GOD.