@philosophyminis

‘If you get married, you will regret it. If you do not get married, you will regret it. Marry or don’t marry, you will regret it either way.’ In his work, Either/Or, Kierkegaard argues that no matter what path we choose in life, we will always wonder about the path not taken. But he wasn’t just talking about marriage, he was talking about everything. Take the job or don’t take the job. Move to the city or stay put. Have that awkward and difficult conversation, or keep your mouth shut. Kierkegaard argued that there will come a time, maybe in the cold, dark of night, or in ten years from now, where you will look back and think, what would have happened if I had taken that path instead? Most of the time, when we are presented with a difficult life decision, there is a kind of calculation. We might draw up a list of pros or cons, or perhaps trust our gut instinct, which inclines us one way or the other. But Kierkegaard is saying that no matter what calculation we pick, it’ll always leave something out, because regret is a necessary part of being an intelligent, free human being. Because we will always wonder about the life that we didn’t choose. And so Kierkegaard says that rather than asking the question, how can I avoid regret? Ask the question, what regret can I live with?

♬ original sound – Jonny Thomson