Reflection VI: The 5th Sequel 

10/06/2019 

Does God exist? Is there a higher power? Why did he create us? Are we actually 

important? Are we apart of some sick science experiment? Are we truly given freedom to 

choose? Does a person without passion have any meaning in life? Can you find passion 

in the pursuit of God? Can you find passion in something other than God?  

Kierkegaard, a rare Christian philosopher, intends on tackling these questions. 

His faith in a higher power calls into question his teachings as a philosopher, but I 

personally believe this to be the other side of the coin. His approach to life stems from a 

higher power, thus he feels the questions of existence have all but been answered. His 

writings deal with, more so, how people choose to live out their time on this earth. He 

talks about passion, and how a person without it, is essentially a robot; just completing a 

task with no sense of passion. A man who only lives objectively, not subjectively. If 

you’re going about your life with no sense of passion, you are not truly existing. A man 
must find something which he can pursue or have a strong emotion about in order to get 

the most of life. Kierkegaard’s source of passion is derived from his belief in God and his 

faith that life does not end on Earth, but is merely a beginning. He believes passion in 

seeking a higher power is the truest form of passion. Other people seek passion in other 

things such as their job, a sport, or even starting a family; but are those passions really 

long term? Is a man who jumps from passion to passion still a passionate person? While I 

agree with Kierkegaard that seeking a higher power is a passion that you will constantly 

pursue throughout your lifetime, I believe you can be passionate in other things as well. 

A doctor can find his passion in his work; helping those who need help and saving lives.  

Are you a person who enjoys going out drinking and partying every night? How 

about a person who works a 9-5 job? Maybe you’re a person who believes in a higher power 

and loves going to church? If you answered yes to any of the above, then you fall into 

one of Kierkegaard’s three spheres of existence; the aesthetic, the ethical, or the spiritual. 

These stages of life are all different; you cannot be in more than one at a time. You 
can’t be in the aesthetic sphere and the spiritual sphere, that's a contradiction. A man 

who claims to be spiritual, can’t also exist in the ethical realm. Most people pass through 

the aesthetic stage during their 20’s, this is the stage where you seek things that “feel 

good” and are more focused on the physical aspect of life. The next stage you usually reach 

in your 30’s and 40’s, where you start to realize that you should start to adhere to 

societal laws; you get a 9-5 job, get mature friends, have a serious relationship, etc. This 

stage relates to the more logical portion of the brain and is considered a step up from the 

previous sphere of life. Kierkegaard’s final stage of life, which he considers the most 

important stage, is one that requires a “leap of faith.” It is not necessarily about having 

faith in a god, but more so a new transcended level of thinking. It is about getting rid 

of our role in society and to our physical being and giving ourselves up to something 

higher than us. It is the most complicated stage, and one that every person should hope to 

achieve. ​Giving ourselves to a higher power is the greatest sphere of life one can reach.