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quote it exactly, so that we may feel the entire weight of these
words: ,,Einem gelang es — er hob den Schleyer der Gôttin zu Sais
— Aber was sah er? Er sah — Wunder des Wunders — Sich selbst.”
It punishes with himself. The sentence in its entirety goes like
this: “Nevertheless, one person did succeed—he raised the goddess
of Sais’s veil—and what did he see? Wonder of wonders: himself.”
He came searching for the other and found himself, just like Nar¬
cissus. Is it not awful? The same found in the other. This could
be called a cathartic experience, if we keep in mind Kierkegaard’s
warning that the human experiences much loss, whether that is a
coat, umbrella, or an arm. The loss of the “I” is easiest of them all.
But to become fantastic in this way, and thus to be in despair, does
not mean, although it usually becomes apparent, that a person cannot
go on living fairly well, seem to be a man, be occupied with temporal
matters, marry, have children, be honored and esteemed—and it may
not be detected that in a deeper sense he lacks a self. Such things do
not create much of a stir in the world, for a self is the last thing the
world cares about and the most dangerous thing of all for a person to
show signs of having. The greatest hazard of all, losing the self, can
occur very quietly in the world, as if it were nothing at all. No other
loss can occur so quietly; any other loss—an arm, a leg, five dollars,
awife, etc.—is sure to be noticed. (Kierkegaard 1983. pp. 70. SKS 11.)
Is it the self that is so terrifying? Or is it the identity found in the
other? Do we all become narcissuses the moment our own selves
appear to us? Yes. The self is a terrifying thing, which causes ter¬
rible restlessness. It is much more pleasant and easier without it.
The loss of the self does not happen in the other, by the other,
or despite it. The loss happens “on its own.” It is therefore no
accident that people yell, rage, and curse when they encounter it.
Those people lack a certainty of spirit, so like the Platonic soul
who chooses incorrectly (Plato 1970, 619.c,d)°° they curse everyone
30 When the souls choose their fates, they are warned that they must consider