Understanding?

I think it was some time ago when someone I know announced to me that "It's impossible to ever truly understand someone." If I recall correctly, I spent the next ten minutes debating whether or not that was completely true. The only response I got, frustratingly, was "You either get it, or you don't." I guess I didn't get it. At the time, it seemed so....bleak...so lonely. How is it that you will never "truly" understand someone? Eh.
Fast forwards a while and I land where I am today. Maybe today I'm feeling extra hormonal or adolescent but I think I'm beginning to understand...But then again, why do I want to understand such a pessimistic thought? I'm not really sure of my motivation is or..was? Whatever...

"Understanding" in this case also depends on your definition of the phrase "It's impossible to ever truly understand someone." However I deduct that, due to the context of the phrase, it means to uhh... understand someone's feelings? Maybe. You could say that it could be applied to ways of thinking or something, but those tend to be more easily explained through words. Feelings and by extension, sensations are more difficult to explain. I think it's easier to explain the sensations. You can't see exactly what other people see, can't hear as other people hear. Perhaps in the future someone will develop technology that allows one to use another person's sensory systems, but for now I suppose its a limitation that acts as a wall or uhh "truly understanding someone". But then again, the idea that you must completely embody someone else is taking the whole idea a bit far. Except maybe for people with disabilities such as colour blindness. Sure you can present an image that simulates what a colour blind person may see, but I won't know for sure or exactly how they see until I have the condition myself. But still, the idea of having to hijack someone's sensory system to uhh... understand them...seems a bit whack.
I have the impression that I'm being incredibly stupid at the moment, but I suppose everyone thinks stupid things once in a while, it's just I'm writing them down.

As for feelings...well...it's more difficult to explain such instinctive parts of human nature. For one thing, many people will have experienced this before I'm sure, sometimes it's difficult to explain to someone how you're feeling. You have basic emotions like happy, sad, angry, etc. But then more complex mixes such as melancholy, depression (especially...people with depression often describe it as "everything is black", something that is undoubtedly a foreign perspective to those who have not had depression) and nostalgia that are somewhat like mixes of emotions...like colours on a colour wheel. Many times it's difficult to put an emotion into words. I've tried it before and either because the subject is too difficult or my English ability is lacking, there never seems to be enough words to describe it. You can keep going and going, but the point never really seems to cross. Maybe someone reading it may say "Yeah I get it" but then you really doubt that they're understanding it from your perspective. Perhaps...

After writing this, I feel further from understanding "It's impossible to ever truly understand someone." than when I first had the conviction to get started. I guess that with enough scrutiny, almost anything will collapse. I suppose that's what separates good and bad philosophies, if indeed this can be called a philosophy. What's this? Am I now insulting the integrity of the phrase "It's impossible to ever truly understand someone."? I'm not sure.  I think the fundamental reason that I have difficulty understanding that phrase is that I'm not sure which angle to take it from. Does one mean "understanding how a person feels" or do they mean "understanding someone's logic"?

I realise that I've now completed a full circle in my ramblings. Is it possible that the end goal is closer to the start than I think? Or maybe I'm just is an interesting mood from recent happenings.... I'm not quite sure how to end this piece of writing so I guess I'll just say that I've enjoyed reflecting on my thoughts, though I may not have gone far from my initial pondering. Have I actually learned anything? I think that I might have progressed in understanding...