Søren Says

“Is despair a merit or a defect? Purely dialectically it is both. If one were to think of despair only in the abstract, without reference to some particular despairer, one would have to say it is an enormous merit. The possibility of this sickness is man’s advantage over the beast, and it is an advantage which characterizes him quite otherwise than the upright posture, for it bespeaks the infinite erectness or loftiness of his being spirit. The possibility of this sickness is man’s advantage over the beast; to be aware of this sickness is the Christian’s blessedness.

Consequently, it is an infinite merit to be able to despair. and yet not only is it the greatest misfortune and misery actually to be in despair; no, it is ruin.”

~ The Sickness Unto Death p44, 45

Comments

  1. Jonathan Webb says

    We all need to have a major falling out…over poetry.

  2. Jonathan Webb says

    That was interesting.

  3. James Harris says

    I suppose the free will that we possess is a good thing, but despair is terrible. It has ruined the lives of many. The Saints are great examples of hope. Even when they suffered much, they held tightly onto the hope of heaven.

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