A maioria dos homens busca o prazer

Søren Aabye Kierkegaard, born on May 5, 1813, in Copenhagen, Denmark, was no ordinary thinker. He was a Danish philosopher, theologian, poet, and cultural critic—a man whose ideas would echo through time, influencing existentialism and Protestant theology in the 20th century.

Imagine a drama unfolding in four acts, each punctuated by a distinctive crisis—a “collision,” as Kierkegaard himself would describe it. His father, Michael Pedersen Kierkegaard, a prosperous yet guilt-ridden man, played a central role. Michael’s deep piety, haunted by a childhood curse hurled at God and a hasty marriage to his maid after his first wife’s death, cast a shadow over young Søren’s upbringing. The domineering presence of this complex figure fueled Søren’s imagination and intellect but robbed him of a conventional childhood.

Kierkegaard embarked on his academic journey at the University of Copenhagen in 1830. Initially drawn to theology like a moth to a flame, he soon veered off course, immersing himself in literature and philosophy. His path diverged from that of the German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, whose system he would later critique fiercely. Kierkegaard’s mission was to expose the misrepresentations of life’s highest task: the ethical and religious quest to become one’s true self. He believed that this pursuit was far from easy, even when it appeared accomplished.

We, too, chase pleasure with breathless urgency, often missing its essence. We’re like that dwarf, sprinting past moments of joy, love, and beauty. Our seven-league boots propel us forward, but we fail to savor life’s subtleties. Pleasure becomes a fleeting blur, a missed opportunity.