Søren Kierkegaard, the philosopher of the human soul and founder of existentialism, saw anxiety not as an enemy but as a teacher. He called it “the pain of freedom” – the feeling that arises when one is confronted with the infinity of possibilities before one. Anxiety, for Kierkegaard, is not a sign of weakness, but evidence of the fact that we are free.
The pain of choice
We are not afraid of what has happened, but of what could happen. It is precisely this “could” – the infinite space of alternatives – that is the source of anxiety. When a person understands that nothing is predetermined and that every decision is in his own hands, he experiences the thrill of freedom. Anxiety is the price of awareness – that profound moment when you realize that you are the author of your own destiny.
Anxiety as a sign of spiritual awakening
In existential psychology, this idea of ??Kierkegaard has become fundamental: anxiety is not a disease to be cured, but a wake-up call. It is the alarm that reminds us that we are avoiding true choices, that we are living according to the expectations of others and not our own. A person without anxiety is a sleeping person; a person who experiences anxiety consciously is on the verge of transformation.
The freedom that scares and saves
Kierkegaard said that only those who have felt anxiety in the depths of their souls can understand what faith is. For faith is not born of security, but of uncertainty; not of control, but of surrender. He described this experience as a “leap into the void” – the most courageous act of the human spirit. Only by facing anxiety does one find the strength to believe in something greater than oneself.
Anxiety as a path to growth
Ultimately, Kierkegaard teaches us that anxiety is not something to be avoided, but to be understood. It is a sign of a life that seeks meaning, of a soul that seeks direction. Only through it does man learn to choose, to believe, to change. Without anxiety there is no choice, and without choice there is no freedom.
Anxiety is, therefore, the first step towards awareness, towards faith, and towards spiritual growth. It is that fragile moment between fear and hope, where one feels for the first time that one is waking up – and that life, with all its uncertainty, has only truly begun.
