what good
What I really lack is to be clear in my mind what I am to do, not what I am to know, except insofar as a kind of understanding must precede every action. The thing is to understand myself, to see what God truly wishes me to do; the thing is to find a truth for me, to find the idea I can live and die for, What would be the use of discovering so-called objective truth, of mastering all the systems of philosophy and being able if required, to discuss them all and reveal the inconsistencies within each; what good would it do me to be able to develop a theory of the state and synthesize all details into one whole, and so create a world I did not live in, but only held up for others to see; what good would it do me to be able to explain the meaning of Christianity if it had no deeper significance for my life; what good would it do me if truth herself stood before me, cold and naked, not caring whether I recognized her or not, and producing in me a shudder of terror rather than a trusting devotion? Indeed I do not deny that I yet acknowledge an imperative of understanding and that with it one can control men, but it must be taken up into my life, and that is what I now recognize as the most important thing.
- Soren Kierkegaard -
I do not presume to taint this with my substandard thought. Existentialism.....
- Gern -
2 comments:
I have never read Kierkegaard, or any philosophers. I have revisited this post a number of times, this is fascinating reading, I love it. Thank you, you have enlightened me in many ways.
I think these few paragraphs comprise the most significant thing I have ever read or thought about. One of the things that makes Kierkegaard so interesting is his deviation from the common Existentialism which says point blank "there is no God" or at the very least that "one can not ever know or know of God" so it's not rational or logical to believe in God.
Kierkegaard says, "it's not rational or logical, faith is passionate and fervent, it's illogical and irrational!"
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