"The person who can think this thought along with everything else he otherwise thinks does indeed think most naturally, and the person who does not need to be changed so as to be able to think it and does not need the thought to be changed so that he can think it does indeed think most naturally, because he find in this thought the equivalent in childlikeness, which makes play the best."
In this discourse he is discussing Solomon's invocation to "Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth." Kierkegaard goes on to say, "In this way those words of the Preacher are already a demonstration that this thought must be the most natural in youth."
I found the first statement to be intriguing, and worth pondering. If I understand my teacher, he is saying that, many times, we change our thinking to accommodate a thought, or we change the thought to accommodate our thinking. To naturally understand a thought is to understand that thought an sich, without our adding to or taking away from it. It seems to me that we rarely "naturally" think thoughts that come from others. We tend to be very narcissistic people in this present era. I believe we have a real problem with communication in the present era, and I think that Kierkegaard's statement accurately describes the source of the problem.
I have asked myself on more than one occasion: Is honest, sincere, earnest communication between two human beings possible? How much can one person actually communicate to another person? So much of what we say each day is merely noise. Many times I wonder why I say the things that I say, for they have no meaning or relevance. In another book, Kierkegaard notes:
"[Talleyrand] (and [Edward] Young before him expressed) discovered and expressed, although not as fully as empty talk does, that the purpose of language is to conceal thought--namely, to conceal that one has none."
Communication is the transfer of one person's thoughts to another person. Communication, as most know already, is far more than mere words. So often we talk because we would rather not be silent. So often we speak words we assume the other person wants to hear. So often we say whatever we can rather than say what we really think. Harold Bloom comments on Shakespeare's characters that they "overhear" themselves as they speak, for they are "gorgeous solipsists". It seems that this is true of many us as well. So often we speak because we like to hear what we have to say. So often we are waiting to speak rather than listening to what the other person is saying. How often are you more focused on your next comment rather than the other person's current comment? I know that I am saying "we" frequently, and may only be speaking of "me," but I will assume that what is true of one is true of everyone.
Is communication more about hearing accurately what the other person is saying, or about accurately conveying our thoughts? Most will say that communication is about both. I do not know if one is more important than the other. It may be, though, that the reason we cannot understand others is that we cannot understand ourselves. We see ourselves the way we choose to see ourselves, and lucky are we if this is the way others see us. We see others according to the way we see ourselves. Earlier, I said that I will assume that what is true of one is true of everyone. Though we may not formally state it, most all of us think this. The problem arises when we do not see ourselves accurately. Socrates is right when he invokes us to "Know thyself." We can forget about understanding ourselves if we do not understand ourselves.
Communication involves a great deal of trust. Is it possible to completely trust another human being? How much of a role does trust play in communication? Communication is an opening and exposing of our inner selves to others. For many people, this can be quite disconcerting. Many people keep a tight grip on their inner person. Many people have been manipulated and offended by others, and so are unwilling to place themselves in a situation where that can happen again. Many people have manipulated and offended others, and assume that, if they did it, then others might do it to them. Again, what is true of one is true of everyone. Trust, in the Biblical sense, involves subjection. Paul commands us to be "subject, one to another." We are egotists and do not want anyone else controlling us or dominating us. We desperately want to be autonomous. In an age where individuality is the highest virtue, we are giving away a great part of ourselves when we lend control to another human being. Thus, we remain guarded in our communication.
There is another question, the answer to which I don't have readily available: What does the Bible say about communication? I am sure that It says much about it, though I cannot recall exactly what it says. I do not think it is possible for man to truly communicate with each other outside of the Love of God. I do not think it is possible for mankind to truly love each other outside of the Love of God. I need to study the Word and find from Wisdom's source the true meaning of communication, and the true means of communication. Maybe we all need to do that.
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