The Truth : Kierkegaard

How does one find the truth? This is something that I have constantly struggled with in my examination of the world around me. Kierkegaard trusted his individual subjective truth and stressed that these subjective truths are most influential in a person’s life. If these subjective truths are indeed paramount, then where does the “absolute objective certainty” enter in? I find Kierkegaard to be as relevant today in our consumerist culture, where individuality is paramount among the populous for setting themselves apart from the “bewildered herd,” however a paradox enters into the equation, because the populous tries to set themselves apart by purchasing prefabricated utilities that have a certain built in signifier about them, which in turn expresses what the consumer has been programmed to think about the said product. It exudes an innate distinctively different quality that upon purchasing will magically transfer these marketed “truths” to the owner through mere possession. Example being, someone wants to be trendy and yet have a gadget which satisfies the want of digital music. The individual purchases an ipod or iphone, which both have a multitude of associations with it, such as being trendy, innovative, cutting edge, sophisticated, intelligent, worldly, costly, etc… Does this possession of the product hold these truths to be both for the electronic gadget and the one who purchased it? The person has a subjective feeling dealing with the ipod/iphone and feels that by using it and being seen with it can be a clear indicator to the public that the owner has such qualities as being innovative, trendy, intelligent, worldly, etc… However, in reality he could possess none of these qualities. This in turn gives rise to a “herd mentality” which Nietzsche discussed in his writings. Everyone is capable of thinking for themselves and having their own feelings, I am not refuting that, I am refuting that these feelings that are quite often associated with transference from the purchasing of a product to the presumed owner does not equate an authentic “subjective truth.” This transference is yet one of many illusions that I feel is directly manipulated on the populous through MASS media and marketing that has been cultivated in an art form of manipulation of all the senses and is getting harder and harder to ignore. This aspect of disappearing into the “mass” where we identify ourselves with a particular group and take on their standards does not lend itself to obtaining “subjective truths.” What if society has gotten to the point where we are no longer thinking for ourselves, but we are just synthesizing all of the data/information that is being transmitted and by being so overly-saturated we have no time to have an actual subjective thought? It’s a matter of preference, these are the choices, fill in this blank, and you will get this individual unique experience. We have no time to “think” anymore, if you think and ponder on a question, you will be left in the dust by worker bees who are trying their best to get ahead in the race against time and pleasure. This lack of introspection lends to being judged by peers and the “masses” on what’s right, what’s beauty, and most of all what is the TRUTH. Socrates says, ” Beware the bareness of the busy life,” most times we simply don’t know what we want, so we fill the void with stuff. As Erich Fromm suggests, we try to fill our lives with complete freedom, but we don’t take advantage of the important freedoms we have. Marx would say we have no time to create free from necessity, which is what we want to do. We are caught in the trap of filling our lives with things.