Monday, January 28, 2008

Chancing upon God's dice...

These words to me constitute perhaps the most acutely incisive lines addressed to God I have ever come across. Though they are not necessarily directed towards God Himself, they are subtly resonating, touching upon a sensitive theological debate that was to become the defining principle of late 19th century philosophy.

''Damned chance! I am waiting for you. I do not wish to defeat you with principles or what foolish people call character; no, I want to be your poet! I'll not be a poet for others!''

''As a bayadère dances to the honour of God, I have dedicated myself to your service; light, thingly clad, supple, unarmed, I renounce everything, I own nothing, I have no to own anything, I love nothing, I have nothing to lose; but haven't I then become more worthy of you, you who long ago must have wearied of depriving people of what they loved, wearied of their cowardly sights and prayers?''

''Show me a possibility that looks like an impossibility...''

''Let her hate me, despise me, be indifferent to me, love another, I'm not afraid; but stir up waters, break your silence. It's cheap for you to starve me in this way, you who after all fancy yourself stronger than I.''

The Seducer's Diary by Søren Kierkegaard

2 Comments:

At 5 February 2008 at 06:08 , Blogger ¡Benjaminista! said...

One of my favourite analysis of Kafka is that his works constitute the plight of the believer cursed to be born after the death of God.

To wit:
Kafka—perhaps the greatest artist of them all—lived an almost impossible life of tedium, writing novels and stories that boil down to a sustained cry: "God is dead! God is dead! Isn't he? I mean, surely he is, isn't he? God is dead. Oh, I wish, I wish, I wish he weren't." —James W. Sire

 
At 17 February 2008 at 15:42 , Blogger IPCHUK said...

Brilliant interpretation and I'll be sure to keep it in mind the next time I pick up something from Kafka. Thanks.

 

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