Kierkegaard on Anxiety and Freedom
Kierkegaard on Anxiety & Freedom: Insights Into Human Existence
Kierkegaard’s thoughts on anxiety and freedom touches the very essence of the human experience. He sees freedom as our capacity and potential to the make choices that shape our individual and collective futures, a precious yet gift and great burden that allows us to act on our desires without being held back by outside forces. Although, freedom comes with a responsibility: the task of deciding between branching possibilities and making decisions that carve our paths forward. It’s this daunting aspect of freedom that breeds anxiety.
Kierkegaard observed his and his fathers own anxiety, describing it as that unsettling sensation born from realIng our own free agency. It is like standing upon a cliff waiting to dive into the sea below, experiencing the teeth chattering fear and euphoric excitement that comes with realizing the level of power we hold over our own fate. We are excited for the possibilities of success but afraid of failure. It is the struggle between longing for something just out of reach and feeling the weight of our own limitations, whether real or perceived.
Anxiety is integral to understanding what it truly means to be human. Kierkegaard argues that ancient embodies the tension of living with our boundless…
