I consider Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) to be one of the greatest modern Christian authors of all time, surpassing the eloquence and brilliance of C.S. Lewis and other notables. His psychological analyses and philosophical insights into the human condition are highly regarded, even among those who refuse his passionate call to follow Christ. Moreover, Kierkegaard was a modern day prophet who foresaw the age of anxiety, the rise of media-based propaganda and interpersonal isolation, the excesses of the technological state, the decay of the institutionalized “Church,” the rise of “easy-believism” (i.e., Evangelical Christianity), and the reactive “postmodern absurdism” that marks the spirit of the age today….
Today I read a humorous (i.e., ironic) quote from a fictional character Kierkegaard created regarding the problem of “boredom.” As you can see, the quote is also tragically prophetic of the absurd political climate of our time:
What might be done about the national debt?
Now and then we hear that someone is a genius and does not pay his debts; why should a nation not do the same, provided there is agreement? Borrow fifteen million; use it not to pay off our debts but for public entertainment. Let us celebrate the millennium with fun and games. Just as there are boxes everywhere for contributions of money, there should be bowls everywhere filled with money. Everything would be free…. No one would be allowed to own property. An exception should be made only for me. I shall set aside for myself one hundred dollars a day deposited in a London bank, partly because I cannot manage on less, partly because I am the one who provided the idea, and finally because no one knows if I will not be able to think up a new idea when the fifteen million is exhausted….
What would be the result of this great prosperity? All the great would stream to Copenhagen: the greatest artists, actors, and dancers. Copenhagen would become another Athens. What would be the result? All the wealthy would settle in this city. Among others, the emperor of Persia and the King of England would undoubtedly also come here….
In addition, there is yet another circumstance that our politicians seem to ignore completely. Denmark holds the balance of power in Europe. A more propitious position is inconceivable. This I know from my own experience. I once held the balance of power in a family. I could do as I wished. I never suffered, but the others always did.
O may my words penetrate your ears, you who are in high places to counsel and control, you king’s men and men of the people, you wise and sensible citizens of all classes! You just watch out! Old Denmark is foundering – it is a matter of life and death; it is foundering on boredom, which is the most fatal of all conditions….
Kierkegaard: Either/Or: “The Rotation of Crops”