I have not studied Soren Kierkegaard in depth and do not claim expertise on the man or his philosophy. And some may say I have taken him somewhat out of context, but be that as it may, the quotes used throughout this post fit the context of this week's thoughts.

"Take away paradox from the thinker and you have a professor." Substituting synonyms, one (relevant) application of Soren Kierkegaard's statement is, 'In the absence of adversity or experiential learning, one mindlessly lectures.' I believe this thinking exposes two dangers:

1. If one burrows too deeply into a comfort zone, then if/when they are unceremoniously yanked out, adaptability and resiliency have been compromised, thus jeopardizing any sort of rapid recovery; and
2. Comfort encourages Conformity, leading to Certainty, thereby fortifying the outer walls of one's Comfort Zone and starting the cycle again.

There is some obvious overlap in the two scenarios above, but I believe the first is more often characteristic of avoidance whereas the second is more often indicative of ignorance. Ignorance is bliss and bliss is comfortable.

Which brings me to a second Kierkegaard quote: "There is nothing with which every man is so afraid as getting to know how enormously much he is capable of doing and becoming." Are we afraid of becoming? Or are we afraid of the struggle and adversity inherent in the doing? Or, perhaps both? And is it a conscious or a subconscious fear? I believe the answers to these questions will be unique to the individual; and I believe they are valid, necessary questions if one is truly committed to a lifetime of learning and growth. For me, the fear/anxiety of becoming seems more subconscious, whereas the doing is a conscious, acknowledged hesitancy. I need to drag the former into the Light for study, and to get past the latter I need to let go of the future; (see last week's post.) I have been raised and live in an era and a culture of individualistic conformity; or (in a harsher light) narcissistic docility - we care about the wrong things. This cannot be an excuse.

Which brings me to another Kierkegaard quote: "One can advise comfortably from a safe port."

Not only did Kierkegaard speak out against day-to-day comfort and conformity, but he also felt very strongly about complacency in religion, implying that those who choose a spiritual path are totally alone and should face hardship and even anguish. Many consider(ed) Kierkegaard's views (then and now) as extremist, but his point is well-taken. I agree that spirituality and transcendental thinking must originate from and continue to reside within. Indoctrination is too easy.

I do not remember having previously seen parallels between empirical (day-to-day) existence and transcendental (spiritual) thought, this clearly. I am fairly certain that I have not stated the following, though I feel it has been implied: 'To advance empirically OR transcendentally one must choose hardship by learning from the past, consulting with the future, and letting go of both (the past and the future) in order to decide and act in the moment in accordance with the highest ideals of (unattainable) perfection for whatever the challenge.' Chasing Perfection is rife with adversity.

The key aspect is that one must choose hardship ... Kierkegaard makes the point (paraphrasing) that some may claim that adversity prevents one from reaching a goal but if one prospers without adversity then their's is a false prosperity. He goes on to make a case for the importance of "objective uncertainty." Kierkegaard's application is to religious faith when he says "If I am able to apprehend God objectively, I do not have faith; but because I cannot do this, I must have faith. If I want to keep myself in faith, I must continually see to it that I hold fast the objective uncertainty, see to it that in the objective uncertainty I am out on 70,000 fathoms of water and still have faith."

Certainty is the antithesis of true faith, be it in transcendental thought (as implied by Kierkegaard) or empirical behavior (that leads to exoteric goodness and/or inner peace). One must always question, act, and move on, while doing no harm.

Yes, uncertainty makes Life hard; but isn't that the point?