Recollecting Kierkegaard

During my final semester at college I took an intensive class on S. Kierkegaard (often referred to simply as "S.K." in literature). For those of you who aren't familiar with Kirkegaard, he was an existentialist philosopher in the late 19th century, unpopular until two decades after his death, and someone with a profound struggle as he examined the role of religion (and more specifically, God) in his life. His questioning and close examination and cross-examination of what it meant to be religious influenced many later philosophers, and continues to do so today.

Interestingly enough, it was a young agnostic critic who originally unearthed S.K.'s works, and after reading and translating the works, he felt he was confirmed in his agnosticism. This is because Kierkegaard has a lot to teach everyone. S.K.'s constant questioning resulted in some truly beautiful, and sometimes threatening, observations. In my opinion, he is the quintessential example of a person who chose to live "the examined life."

I've forgotten much of what I once knew about Kierkegaard, but there are pieces that have stayed with me: one was the belief that men were divided into two great classes--those that lived in hope and those that lived in recollection--yet he also stated that only healthy people lived in both at once. I remember studying S.K.'s Either/Or intensely for a period of time as the author grappled with multiple dichotomies, including the relationship between the aesthetic and the ethical. Lastly, I recall a quote that Kierkegaard made early in life, and I just looked it up to make sure I haven't distorted it too much in my head over time...here goes: "I must find the truth that is true for me--the idea for which I can live and die." What a quest, eh?

It saddens me a little bit that I haven't made more of an effort to find my own truth. Like most people, I'm just too damn busy to devote even the smallest amount of time to reflect on such things. That said, I guess recognizing the problem is the first step, so I've got this going for me.