Being stuck in the infinite or the finite: Kierkegaard

How do we decide what to do with our lives? Some people say they’ve known their whole life, but for others it’s not that obvious. I can confidently say that I am in the latter group of people. “What the f*k am I doing with my life?” is a question I ask myself way too often.

On one of my favorite podcasts, “Philosophize This”, there was an episode that I felt shed some light on this subject which I’d like to share. Kierkegaard, a philosopher from the 1800’s – discussed this issue in his time but seems to still be as relevant today.

Kierkegaard said that some people get stuck in the “infinite”. What he meant by this is that humans who encounter true freedom in life, are also faced with a seemingly infinite amount of possibilities of what to do with this freedom. He explains that this causes the person to be in a permanent state of analysis paralysis, looking at all of the possibilities but never taking any action, which ultimately delays any realization of self.

Take me for example, someone who has many passions but never able to commit to anything. Do I go to film school? Become a digital nomad or a yoga teacher? Do I go back to school and study astrophysics or hey, philosophy? How about building my own permaculture farm and being a full-time environmental activist? The wheels are turning, and trust me, there are even more ideas… but without guidance or a feeling of certainty towards something, I am “stuck in the infinite”.

Then – interestingly enough, Kierkegaard explains that other people are stuck in the “finite”. He is now referring to a specific path that was molded by a person’s external environment – what they’ve been told to do their entire life by their family and peers. For example, when someone marries the person they’ve been dating for 6 years not because they are necessarily the best person for them, but because that’s what’s expected of them. Or they get a job in a firm that provides them with the financial security because that’s what they were told to do. Not always directly, but subconsciously their entire lives, they were stirred into that by external forces. Kierkegaard suggests that these people stuck in the “finite” are essentially sheeps… Sheeps that think they are making their own decisions freely, but in fact are being herded by external forces. He even goes as far as to suggest that people stuck here risk never becoming true individuals. Woah! That’s scary.

Although I feel some sort of peace knowing that I am not part of this latter group, I don’t feel so rested where I am stuck either. Do you identify yourself with either of these groups?