Sorry I do not agree Mr. Kierkegaard
Dear Kierkegaard,
In my one of my most recent studies, I came across some of your readings and lectures. While I find your intellect fascinating and certainly “outside the box” I feel that your take on an individual’s life is a bit saddening. Despair, fear, suffering, dread, all of those emotions that you declare fill the world are manifestations of an individual’s conflict with physical turmoil and ethical and religious dilemmas. I would have to agree with you, but then again I do not. For I believe in what you say as a small part of a whole in the metaphysical and physical realms of the world. Such as yin and yang, the sun and moon, the earth and sky, there is always a counter part to another and the more variables that one has the more counter parts you will have to balance out the equation. Life is and equation, a never ending process by which a variable, in this case a person, searches for and tries to define themselves at the end. Some may lose themselves along the path and only derive the result of despair, suffering, fear, dread, amongst other emotions. Then there are individuals who seem to parallel the same equation with a much more positive outlook on life full of happiness, luck, confidence, and warmth. Sure there are dark emotions that surface an individual’s life from time to time. Attitude is everything and our perception of the world determines our attitude. Along with attitude, comes an innate quality of environmental upbringings, meaning that our existence from infant to adult does shape our attitude and perspective on life. A beggar that lives in the slums with parents of negative attitudes, where food is scarce, warmth and shelter are in dismay, and the presence of hope is nearly all but gone will more than likely have the same attitude of despair, fear, dread. The beggar knows nothing outside the realm of darkness and so shall live in such. Take a wealthy family where the opposite of the beggar is obvious. Opportunities, shelter, food, things that the beggar could only wish for are present, does the individual brought up in this lifestyle have a much more positive outlook on life? That depends, you can take both situations with the same attitude and both individuals will have a negative perspective on life, regardless of what environment. The same can be said for the opposites of these. One individual with a poorer environment and one with a wealthy environment where both attitudes are positive will more than likely be on the other side of the spectrum. My point is that, while there is despair in the world, it is not what governs people. As humans, we have the ability to change our lives through a variety of medians including our perspective on our world. Do you find this irrational? Perhaps it may be, but even the declaration of an irrational world requires rational thinking and observation. To be able to observe the world around us, analyze and learn from it is one talent that we all possess but in each individual it is slightly different. I do not disregard the fact that there are certain truths in world. Truth means nothing if we cannot agree with one another. We agree that the sky is blue, we breathe air, the earth is round, those are the truths that we inherit from our ancestors, are these truths irrational? So I ask you, why do you believe in the darker side of life? What experiences have you led in your life to develop this perception of the world? Metaphorically, the truth is what you make it, and if you believe in a more positive world then you may find that there is more here than you first assumed. Let me tell you of a personal experience of mine. Earlier in my days, in my early teens, my parents moved a lot and my shyness only grew from the habit of being torn apart from the friends that I have gathered in each area we lived in. I grew up without a father, and my confidence in myself was low. These emotions of fear and despair were definitely present in my mind, and it showed. I eventually succumbed to pathways of enlightenment such as drugs, alcohol, and other things outside of nature to be socially acceptable for a glimpse of being a part of a whole. Eventually at some point I grew tired of the same anguish that I let myself endure of years and I broke out of my box. I was a new man, more confident, desired, and my true nature was shining. After this personal revelation was when I felt that I was part of a whole. It is when one can accept the environment around and make the best out of it, not letting the negatives control them, can someone break out of the box of despair. All it takes is the attitude.
