“What A Frightening Thing Is The Human, A Mass Of Gauges And Dials And Registers, And We Can Read Only A Few, And Those Perhaps Not Accurately”

This is a quote from writer John Steinbeck. It appeared in his 1961 book The Winter Of Our Discontent. But one doesn’t need to read The Winter Of Our Discontent to have the quote resonate. If one takes some time to examine the quote, he or she can see that it addresses the complexity of the human person.

What does the quote say? The things that make up our true selves are multifaceted and complex. In terms of how we perceive others, most of what makes up another person cannot be ascertained. In fact, we are often a mystery to ourselves.

We often cannot, or refuse to understand our true nature. Sometimes when we try to understand actions that we ourselves took, we do not fully comprehend why. Our actions are the result of our feelings, responses and chemical reactions to circumstances.

There are general reasons behind why we do things. But they cannot be completely understood. And the combination of many factors, suppression of feelings, and our own unique personality becomes our actions and values. And think. If you are in your head and cannot completely understand it all, how can someone outside of yourself understand? What do they see?

Complicating this further is the fact that how we present ourselves is quite different from our true selves. We often act illogically and inconsistently. We send out contradictory signals. Sometimes we try to be honest. Other times we try to deceive.

Each person has their own internal axioms. Their own internal struggle. In fact, besides those closest to you, what you see when you interact with another person is the tip of the iceberg. This is what I believe Steinbeck meant when he said that we are a “…mass of gauges and dials and registers, and we can read only a few…”

“…and those perhaps not accurately.” What does that mean? It means that often the small amount of understanding of a person we do get is not even accurate. It truly is difficult to know a person. Because by our very nature, it is very easy to hide ourselves. Very easy to misrepresent and deceive.

Why is understanding this important. It is important so that we realize that people are complex. More importantly, when you feel a desire to quickly make a judgement, take your time. Sometimes one’s intuition of another person is accurate. Often it is not.

The human is an incredible thing. Our inventions, progress, and philosophizing are our strengths. But the ability to do this is also part of what makes the human being, as John Steinbeck said, frightening.