Hello..is anyone home?

Dan in New York asks: "How do I know if I really exist?"

You're in good company with that question. One of history's greatest minds wrestled with that same problem. Rene Descartes' cogito, ergo sum (I think, therefore I am) worked fine when applied to himself. No doubt he was quite a thinker. However, if you exist because you think, it logically follows that you don't exist if you do not think. There are a lot of people existing that don't think...I encounter them every day on the road. Any construct proving one's existence then must pass the test of universal application. All Rene needed to do was substitute cogito with doleo; ego insum doleo, ergo sum (I am in pain, therefore I am). If you ever start doubting your existence ask a loved one to hit you in the head with a bat, preferably when you're not expecting it. If you feel pain you can rest assured that you do in fact exist.