Definitions HQ

Understanding (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠in no way the ultimate goal. Nothing worse could happen to one than to be completely understood.

Understanding (n.) does ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not cure evil, but it is a definite help, inasmuch as one can cope with a comprehensible darkness.

Understanding (n.) means ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠embracing — ver-stehen, "standing round about," comprehendere, grasping — and nothing embraces us like the mother: the neurotic who complains the world doesn't understand him wants his mother.

Understanding (n.) another ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠standpoint is, in matters of ideals, almost impossible: every man is so imprisoned in his type that he cannot fully grasp another.

Understanding (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a poison that must be injected with extreme care, in very small doses.

Understanding (n.) can ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠never be perfect between two individualities, and an excessive desire to understand and enlighten is as injurious as a lack of understanding.

Understanding (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not exclusively intellectual: a man may be influenced, and convinced in the most effective way, by things he does not understand at all — witness religious symbols.

Understanding (n.) others ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠reaches no further than understanding ourselves: what we fail to grasp in ourselves we fail to grasp in them — even close friendship guarantees no objective knowledge.

Understanding (n.) splits ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠things apart: Yahweh smote the sea-monster "by his understanding," a word rooted in "to separate" — discrimination, the essence of consciousness.

Understanding (n.) a ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠person requires laying aside all scientific knowledge of the average man — a lèse-majesté against science; knowledge and understanding are diametrically opposed attitudes.

Understanding (n.) carried ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠too far becomes identification, each going uncritically along with the other's experience — and it breaks when one feels forced to sacrifice his individuality; understanding at all costs injures both.

Understanding (n.) that ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠hopes in the end to grasp everything is the Enlightenment's conceit: the earth will show there are things man never understands, times when the spirit must be darkened to be reborn.

Understanding (n.) a ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠work of art requires letting it shape us as it shaped the artist.

Understanding (n.) that ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠never fails is the most unbearable thing a patient can receive from his doctor.

Understanding (n.) should ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠be an agreement that is the fruit of joint reflection: it makes little difference whether the doctor understands, and all the difference whether the patient does.

Understanding (n.) by ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the doctor is not required for healing: It doesn't matter that you don't understand my dreams — something is happening all the time.

Understanding (n.) was ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the alchemists' buckler against the overpowering stone, with resignation and knowledge; as in therapy, consciously understanding the contents behind a symptom frees its energy and disarms it.

Understanding (n.) from ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a doctor can keep a patient flooded by strange contents from the panic of total isolation that often marks the outbreak of psychosis.

Understanding (n.) an ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠illness does not cure it, but a comprehensible difficulty is far easier to bear than incomprehensible darkness; one learns one is not alone before the wall but one of many who tried to climb it.