#10 Love and Loneliness Post 2

Ross D. Thomas III                                                                                                        Section #10

12-10-17

Loneliness and Love

                For many people love is much like Stephen Crane’s “Truth”: almost phantom like in its evasiveness. We become enamored with the physique, money, or personality of another person, and inevitably, that electric passion we develop vanishes. Love runs dry just like any other resource, and when it does we lament and realize that none of life’s larger issues left with it. Love, viewed through this lens seems quite pointless, but it is not uncommon for most people to have numerous failed relationships. Repeatedly we fall hook line and sinker for the intoxicating nectar of attraction. Kierkegaard warns of such futile attempts to latch onto fleeting comforts, and asks that we detach ourselves from frivolities.

                                                                                      

   Regret invites itself into our lives regardless of circumstance, at the end of every turn we round we will find it. This is a pillar of Kierkegaard's philosophical approach. Perhaps because of his all too close acquaintanceship with the concept of death. After seeing the death of most of his siblings by his twentieth year of life, he had become a downcast man with a grim outlook on life. Kierkegaard carried with him a bitterness and angst that eventually lead him to break of an engagement with a woman he'd fallen madly in love with Regine Olsen, the daughter of a member of the Danish parliament(2). Kierkegaard wanted to hold on the explosive passion that he had for her but knew that his love would wane, and he resigned himself to the life of a bachelor. His hesitancy to approach the unknown is not unlike most introverted people behave. Alternatively, not pursuing a love interest to focus on self-improvement will also lead to unhappiness. Self improvement in the form of  managing your money, working toward your long term goals by laying out a specific strategies to reach them can make a person happy in the short run just as love can. Inevitably, watching the happy couples walk by as you toil begins to erode your confidence bit by bit.

  Kierkegaard's former fiance  remained a muse in his works, especially in his first work "either or, wherein he makes numerous references to his ex. The image of Regine must have haunted Kierkegaard for the remainder of his life. It would have been interesting to see how staying with her would have shaped his existential philosophy. The prevailing notion outlined in "Either Or" is that detachment from sentimental comforts is necessary. He attacked Christianity for the same reason. Kierkegaard wanted people to be pious and submit to God's will, but he did not want Christianity to become a fig leaf that shields its followers from the crushing reality that life is as painful and awful as it can be. Kierkegaard affirmed that suffering is a crucial part of the human experience, and that understanding comfort as a veil that halts our personal growth is essential for every person. Kierkegaard, as a sullen and gloomy individual did not path that leads to the most happiness, but the one that lead to the least amount of suffering. It is ultimately up to the individual to decide that path, there is no easy answer or perfect road to happiness.

First Installment:

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2619743764213415433#editor/target=post;postID=1032653078358702996;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=115;src=postname

Commentary on other installments:

1.https://cophilosophy.blogspot.com/2017/12/procrastination-and-motivation-or-lack_12.html?showComment=1513199448238#c5165577562763641478

2.http://cophilosophy.blogspot.com/2017/12/pessimism-10.html

For historical context and inspiration drawn:

1.https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/01/existential-comics-the-best-and-funniest-way-to-le.html

2.http://www.philosophybasics.com/philosophers_kierkegaard.html
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEZISxBwOKA&t=38s
4.http://sqapo.com/kierkegaard.htm
5.http://www.weeklystorybook.com/comic_strip_of_the_daycom/2017/09/index.html