When I was taking my first philosophy class in college I
developed a love for Kierkegaard. I still remember when I first read these
words… I felt life pumping through me because I felt exactly this way but I
just struggled to find the words.
“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 certain understanding must
precede every action. The thing is to understand myself, to see what God really
wishes me to do; the thing is to find a truth which is true for me, to
find the idea for which I can live and die…What good would it do me to
be able to explain the meaning of Christianity if it had no deeper significance
for me and for my life; - what good would it do me if truth stood before
me, cold and naked, not caring whether I recognized her or not, and producing
in me a shudder of fear rather than a trusting devotion? I certainly do not
deny that I still recognize an imperative of understanding and that
through it one can work upon men, but it must be taken up into my life, and
that is what I now recognize as the most important thing.”
- Soren Kierkegaard
It was a long time ago that I read this quote for the first
time. The words still resonate in my spirit in a way which is difficult to
explain.
It was in 1835 that this great philosopher penned these
words upon the page. The world has changed vastly since then, yet I feel the
same way. It is nothing to merely know the truth and do nothing about it. It is
nothing to proclaim to others that you are a Christian without allowing those principles
to take root in your life.
Therefore this quote is acting like a catalyst within me,
encouraging me to think and write down those ideas. Very often they will be the
silly musings of a young girl, but sometimes I hope I will touch on points
which will resonate in another’s soul like this quote has within me.
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