The father then put the son in a prone position, still holding his head and pulling it skyward, turning his back into a bow. “The two questions: Why do people want to hear what others have to say about them, when it serves no purpose that any human can discern, and Why do people continue to tell of their tastes when it is obvious that no other human being is interested? Do you know what I am tempted to say?” The elder bent the boy’s back even more acutely. “Do you?”
“Just for the sake of our family discussion here, I am tempted to say to you that the reason humans engage in both of these plainly futile and ridiculous activities is simple. Men want to hear what others have to say about them, and they want to talk about themselves because of the fact that no one KNOWS who or what they are, but that through these two activities they may pick up clues.
‘Yea-ah’, whooped the elder as he locked his hold even tighter. Consider this possibility: everyone privately knows that they do not really know what their, ‘self’’ is; the self that mentally and verbally speaks so often and freely of itself. Thus they are reduced to seeking descriptions of themselves from other people, and from the continuing public admissions they themselves make concerning their likes and dislikes in matters devoid of any importance. This is all in an attempt to assemble at least a vague definition of who or what this thing in their thoughts that calls itself THEIR self actually is.
Have you ever in your life confronted such a thoroughly delicious mental picture?! (You can see why I am so tempted to say that this is the reason for man’s otherwise inexplicable behavior reflected in the two questions I proposed, but,” said the father as he suddenly turned his taxing hold on the son’s head into one of submission, “I won’t. No sir! Not to a son of mine will I say such a dastardly thing. NO SIR!” And as he released the lad and stood in victory, he muttered, “You’ll have to discover it for yourself.”
And off to the winners’ locker room he strode.
J.