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Essay / The Relevance of Kierkegaard's Current Era in the Modern World the modern era to the age of revolution. Kierkegaard wrote The Present Age in 1846, however, his notion of reflection is still relevant and applicable to our current times. Some of the points made by Kierkegaard that are still relevant today are: how dispassionate thinking led a population into a state of inaction, how we became obsessed with valueless abstractions such as money, and how we crave short-lived enthusiasm. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay First, Kierkegaard claims to live in an age of dispassionate thinking, which leads to indecision and passivity. “Everyone experiences indecision and evasion and waits for someone to come along who wants something.” This is seen very clearly in our time with the rise of media, allowing individuals to feel like they are part of the “public.” Rather than having to stand up in the event of a humanitarian crisis or putting their physical and individual bodies at risk. People are able to “think” by liking a post on Instagram that raises awareness about a problematic or unfair situation, wearing safety pins on their clothes to show that they share a given opinion, or using hashtags to show the cause they reflect. about. This type of “performative alliance” allows individuals to remain in a continuous state of inactivity, rather than becoming active and fighting for what they represent. Our current age lives in a social environment dominated by the Internet and media, the expectation of publicity and becoming an inactive ally involves itself in almost everything we do. We live in the age of advertising; where nothing happens, but there is instant publicity. Second, Kierkegaard mentions “that ultimately the object of desire is money, but it is actually symbolic money, an abstraction.” Kierkegaard believes that this is natural and problematic, as we are increasingly prone to valueless “abstractions” like money. This can be seen most clearly in today's generation's obsession with money. As I walked the halls of Florida International University, I overheard conversations about which majors made the most money and recommendations for changing majors to get the desired amount of "token money ". The majority of students choose their majors based on the income the career will bring them, instead of studying a career they are passionate about. As a side effect, we will become slaves to the system and lose our sense of individuality to become like any other graduate with a passionless job. Finally, Kierkegaard presents us with this idea of “ephemeral enthusiasm”; he writes: “The present age is essentially a reasonable, reflective one, devoid of passion, inflamed in superficial and fleeting enthusiasm and cautiously relaxing into indolence. » Kierkegaard is talking about something that will bring us temporary happiness. This can be reflected in the hookup culture, drug and social media addiction of our current era. We do not seek happiness within ourselves but outside of ourselves. These external factors do not satisfy us because they are not long-term. They leave us hungry to know more, for example: how young people put their lives into practice.
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