Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Defiance

Last Kierkegaard, I thought this was an apt description of a particular type of personality disorder, you can guess which:

The Despair of Defiance
Unlike the despair of weakness, the despair of defiance is the despair of wanting in desperation to be oneself. Here despair is conscious of itself as an activity. The self 's identity comes not from "outside" but directly from the self. It is rooted in the consciousness of an infinitude, of being related to the infinite, and it is this self the despairer wants to be. In other words, such a self severs itself from any relationship to the power that has established it.

It wants desperately to rule over itself, create itself, make this self what it wants it to be, and determine what it will have and what it will not have. The one who lives in defiance does not truly put on a self, nor does he see his task in his given self. No, by virtue of his own "infinitude" he constructs his own self by himself and for himself.

The defiant self recognizes no power other than its own. It is content with taking notice only of itself, which it does by means of bestowing infinite interest and significance on all its enterprises. In the process of its wish to be its own master, however, it works its way into the exact opposite; it really becomes no self, and thus despairs. As it acts, there is nothing eternally firm on which it stands. Yes, the defiant self is its own master, absolutely (as one says) its own master, and yet exactly this is despair.

Upon closer examination it is easy to see that this absolute ruler is a king without a country. He really rules over nothing. His position, his kingdom, his sovereignty, is subject to the dictates of rebellion at any moment. This is because such a self is forever building castles in the air, and just when it seems on the point of having the building finished, at a whim it can – and often does – dissolve the whole thing into nothing.

When confronted with earthly need, a temporal cross, a thorn in the flesh that grows too deep to be removed, the defiant self is offended. It uses the suffering as an excuse to take offense at all existence. Such a person wants to be himself in spite of suffering, but not in "spite of it" in the sense of being without it. No, he now wants to spite or defy all existence and be himself with it, taking it along in steely resignation with him, almost flying in the face of his agony. Does he have hope in the possibility of help? No!

Does he recognize that for God everything is possible? No! Will he ask help of any other? No! That for the entire world he will not do. If it came to that, he would rather be himself with all the torments of hell than ask for help.

Ah, demonic madness! Such a self wants to be itself in hatreds towards existence, to be itself according to its own misery. It does not even want so much as to sever itself defiantly from the power that established it but in sheer spite to push itself on that power, importune it, hold on to it out of malice. In rebelling against existence the defiant self will here nothing of the comfort eternity offers. This comfort would be to his undoing, an objection to the whole of his existence. It is, to describe it figuratively, as if a writer were to make a slip of a pen and the error to become conscious of itself as such and then wanted to rebel against the author. Out of hatred for Him, the error forbids the author to correct it and in manic defiance says to him “No, I will not be changed, I will stand as a witness against you, a witness to the fact that you are a second-rate author.” Yes, this is the despair of defiance, and what despair it is!

72 comments:

  1. FIRST!!!

    YIPPEE!!!

    ~Vegas

    ReplyDelete
  2. That is some really whacked thought train...lol...who the hell writes this crap?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You took the words right out of my mouth - except to express it better!!

      Delete
    2. Well next time be the first asshole

      Delete
    3. It seems as if deifance is another self within ones self. One that is more dominate yet one that retains that dominance by allowing the illusion that the weaker self is ultimately in control.

      Delete
    4. Anon @ 12:49-

      "That is some really whacked thought train"

      It sure has become "some really whacked thought train" today...

      ~Vegas

      Delete
    5. Anon @ 1:13-

      I completely agree.:)

      ~Vegas

      Delete
  3. M.E.-

    WOW!!!

    Awesome post!!!

    ~Vegas

    ReplyDelete
  4. It does sound like narcissism.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Narcissism projections are no one else's reality but the delusion of the projector.

      Delete
    2. Anon @ 11:39-

      I completely agree.:)

      ~Vegas

      Delete
  5. I enjoy the act of torture and killing.living.things, to see them struggle, but i dont enjoy messy kills.My fav' method is to put a plastic bag on their head and watch em :D gasp until their final breath. R.I.P. my little dogs

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seems something that a fat person would be able to relate to, abc. Would you describe yourself as a fatty? Choking in the weight of your own lard to shuffle it up a set of stairs?

      Delete
    2. Nah im not fat. But you seem to relate to it

      Delete
  6. Despair, a "label" a short lived existence. Who can sustain, "despair", short of killing yourself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Or killing someone else. That can work, if it broadens choices. Despair: felt when no choices left.

      Delete
    2. I was speaking more to the subjective (I); and less to the objective (other). I guess we can always broaden our horizons. More to the point, arguing for Kierkegaard (which is unfair since, he is dead) it is about the individual's choice and to deal with angst or despair. "The contradiction does not consist in his being different from everyone else but the contradiction is that he, with all his inwardness hidden within him, with this pregnancy of suffering and benediction in his inner being, looks just like all the others-and inwardness is indeed hidden simply by his looking exactly like others."

      Delete
    3. Life_is_Dull-

      I enjoyed your post-thank you.:)

      ~Vegas

      Delete
    4. Despair. Painting yourself into a corner.

      Delete
    5. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    6. paint yourself into a corner
      "to do something which puts you in a very difficult situation and limits the way that you can act". What if there are no corners?

      Delete
    7. LOL this site insists on citing "corner" and "comer"

      Delete
    8. @ Life_is_Dull at 6.48pm:

      I realise the passage you quote is part of a larger whole; it puzzles me however why Kier., being human, should consider it worthy of comment that contradictorily a self in despair would look outwardly like a self not in despair. He does not simply mean outward appearance; does he [puzzled]? And does he suggest what to do if one's self is in despair? Or merely [not meant in the denigration sense] outline ways a self can be despairing, as in Cipher etc.
      It could be argued perhaps that the only way to lift the despair is to act outwardly at the 'objective' [hence the suggestion re killing above] as despair is so often a product of external forces working on the self?

      XK

      Delete
    9. are we confusing despair for love? OR Is it it possible we cannot distinguish between the two?"

      Delete
    10. The antidote to despair is hope.:)

      ~Vegas

      Delete
    11. I love the movie "Shawshank Redemption".:)

      There are so many great quotes, in that movie.:)

      This is a great conversation in the movie, between Tim Robbins (who played Andy), and Morgan Freeman (who played Red):

      Andy Dufresne: That's the beauty of music. They can't get that from you... Haven't you ever felt that way about music?
      Red: I played a mean harmonica as a younger man. Lost interest in it though. Didn't make much sense in here.
      Andy Dufresne: Here's where it makes the most sense. You need it so you don't forget.
      Red: Forget?
      Andy Dufresne: Forget that... there are places in this world that aren't made out of stone. That there's something inside... that they can't get to, that they can't touch. That's yours.
      Red: What're you talking about?
      Andy Dufresne: Hope.

      ~Vegas

      Delete
    12. Here's another quote, from that movie:

      "Red" Redding: Hope is a dangerous thing my friend, it can kill a man...
      Andy Dufresne: Hope is a good thing. Maybe even the best of things and good things never die.

      ~Vegas

      Delete
    13. This one's from The Bible:

      "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

      ~Vegas

      Delete
    14. Peace and Love, Baby!!!

      Peace and love.:)

      ~Vegas

      Delete
    15. Life is dull - what if there are no corners. That is one of the more brilliant things I've heard. What does that mean to you?

      Delete
    16. NO rules, no corners, nothing... no right, no wrong? Do you have individual rules, are; you a monkey

      Delete
    17. NO rules, no corners, nothing... no right, no wrong? Do you have individual rules, are; you a monkey

      Delete
    18. Life is Dull - being limitless has freed you from despair?

      Delete
  7. "In the process of its wish to be its own master, however, it works its way into the exact opposite; it really becomes no self, and thus despairs."

    This is true without doubt. I know narcissistic people like this: so full of pride and lacking in any genuineness, lacking a true self, and they are delude themselves into thinking they're fine. Too proud to seek help or admit weaknesses yet their actions reveal envy and fear. Always looking for fun and they find it more often it than not. You'd think it would make them happy, content and make them give back more but quite the opposite: they get so addicted to pleasure that they have almost zero tolerance for stress, for hard work, for patience etc. etc. You may think they love themselves excessively but judging by their behavior, it seems they have deep rooted hatred for themselves and the "mask" is the cover up. The saddest part: they probably have no clue what all this means because they're too afraid to connect with their true selves.

    Great post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jonaid, what are you saying? This applies to 95% of my known population?

      Delete
    2. I'm speaking about extremes. If you see this extremity in 95% of the "known population" - provided that's more than a few dozen people - you're likely projecting.

      Delete
  8. ME you are more sitting down type?

    ReplyDelete
  9. M.E.-

    The retweet:

    "im VERY laid back. i only care about 2 things:

    every person on earth & their opinion of me
    the crushing psychological weight of being alive"

    TOTALLY CRACKED ME UP!!!

    HA!!! LOL!!!

    ~Vegas

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. M.E.-

      Your retweet of Helen Hunt's tweet:

      "Ordered my drink @Starbucks Asked the barista if she wanted my name. She winked and said. "We gotcha" #JodieFoster"...

      WAS HYSTERICAL!!!

      HA!!! LOL!!!

      They didn't know who Helen Hunt was, or how to spell Jodie Foster's name...

      HA!!! LOL!!!

      I love both Helen Hunt and Jodie Foster-AMAZING FEMALE ACTRESSES!!!

      ~Vegas

      Delete
    2. M.E.-

      PS-You know when I need a good laugh, and exactly how to deliver it-thank you.:)

      PSS-STARBUCKS RULES!!!

      ~Vegas

      Delete
    3. Life_is_Dull-

      You made me smile.:)

      Cream AND sugar.:)

      ~Vegas

      Delete
    4. okay out of the loop? What is this ~Vegas?

      Delete
    5. Life_is_Dull-

      Why do you think you are "out of the loop"???

      ~Vegas

      Delete
  10. poor kierkegaard...
    didn't he know? 'DEAD ARE ALL THE GODS: NOW DO WE DESIRE THE OVERMAN TO LIVE.'

    ReplyDelete
  11. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,


    And sorry I could not travel both


    And be one traveler, long I stood


    And looked down one as far as I could


    To where it bent in the undergrowth;





    Then took the other, as just as fair,


    And having perhaps the better claim,


    Because it was grassy and wanted wear;


    Though as for that the passing there


    Had worn them really about the same,





    And both that morning equally lay


    In leaves no step had trodden black.


    Oh, I kept the first for another day!


    Yet knowing how way leads on to way,


    I doubted if I should ever come back.





    I shall be telling this with a sigh


    Somewhere ages and ages hence:


    Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—


    I took the one less traveled by,


    And that has made all the difference.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anon @ 9:20-

      I love that one, and enjoyed reading it again-thank you for sharing.:)

      ~Vegas

      Delete
    2. You're welcome, Vegas. I forgot to sign and attribute the quote. Busy round here.

      You are chipper as always. Appreciate that.

      Mr. Hyde

      Delete
    3. Mr. Hyde-

      I knew it was "The Road Not Taken", by Robert Frost.:)

      You never forget to sign-you must be busy!!!

      I'm glad you appreciate me being chipper.:)

      Please give BB a kiss for me!!!

      ~Vegas

      Delete
  12. Hmmm...watched an Online Clown suit do the persona shift multiple times. Quite funny. One bled for narc supply and the other sock fed the first puppet. Disordered thinking in its more bizarre hour.

    Tales from the Dissociating SJW Sociopath? Must be something new in the DSM, perhaps?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Noel, you know full well the DSM is nowadays full of gobshite, so it's good for a doorstop but nothing else.
      Haven't you ever got to that point where 'you' disappear entirely? Not even as a kid?
      XK

      Delete
    2. DSM is a catalogue of patterns linked to studies and the egos in some cases, of the researchers.

      No. The concept lacks any sort of sense.

      Delete
  13. Replies
    1. Life is Dull - why do you need to counter hope with action? Do you think hope is an illusion and only will or action is reality?

      Delete
    2. I give hope because most people need it. And most people associate hope w.ith action. If we are talking about illusions versus reality. That is a new paragragh

      Delete
  14. In the name of God, The Merciful, The Compassionate.

    "By the declining day,

    Most surely man is in a state of loss,

    Save those who believe and do good works, and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to endurance."

    Qur'an Chapter 103: The Eventide

    ReplyDelete
  15. “Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is a law eternal.” The Buddha

    “When watching after yourself, you watch after others. When watching after others, you watch after yourself.” The Buddha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anon @ 11:28-

      I love those quotes, and completely agree.:)

      Thank you, for sharing them.:)

      ~Vegas

      Delete
    2. The Buddha may well have been a Prophet inspired by God. The following is, to my mind, clear proof that God did not intend for all people to have one religion.

      "And unto thee have We revealed the Scripture with the truth, confirming whatever Scripture was before it, and a watcher over it. So judge between them by that which God hath revealed, and follow not their desires away from the truth which hath come unto thee. For each We have appointed a divine law and a traced-out way. Had God willed He could have made you one community. But that He may try you by that which He hath given you (He hath made you as ye are). So vie one with another in good works. Unto God ye will all return, and He will then inform you of that wherein ye differ."

      Qur'an 5:48

      Delete
    3. Looking after yourself and others = prosperity for all life.

      Delete
    4. j' to even recognize Buddha as a prophet. Let us recognize the Buddha did not recognize a god

      Delete
  16. Song of the Day:

    Creed

    InsideUsAll

    ~Vegas

    ReplyDelete
  17. M.E.'s Tweet

    "The "recipe" for a sociopath seems to be one or more narcissistic parents. While the actual circumstances vary, that always seems present."

    This is definitely one cause of sociopathy and, I would argue, a lot of variations in sexuality that are now rapidly surfacing (over the past few decades). My question is: WHY would you vindicate those who wronged you - your parent(s) - by accepting yourself as a sociopath? I'm in the same camp when it comes to inheriting certain predispositions. I continue to find out just how bad it is.

    Our genes give us an advantage in that we get an inside view into the other side without having to go down the same road as our folks. You can use that to your own, and society's advantage, and be truly great people. Or you can let other people's shortcomings & faults define you. It's tougher in the short run but it's the best outcome in the long run. Just look at your own folks, particularly the narcissistic ones. Are these really role models? Or the opposite?

    You folks have opportunities that most people never have but you're falling prey to some faulty wiring & upbringing. Intentions are everything...make good out of the less than optimal beginning and a day will come when you'll actually be thankful for starting off where you did.

    Just watch how easy God makes it all when you ask Him for help. I speak from experience.

    Peace.

    ReplyDelete
  18. And I don't even mention that real life is after death...because I've been an atheist for so long I subconsciously (wrongly I think) assume that most people will immediately dismiss that as superstition.

    If someone can make a Universe like the one we see, They can (and will) easily repeat it. This short life is just a test to determine your real rank & position in your real life. That's not fleeting & dull like this one.

    ReplyDelete
  19. help to save Broken marriage or Broken Relationships!!.I am Natasha Hayes by name and i reside here in London, United Kingdom. I'm happily married to a lovely and caring husband ,with two kids.A very big problem occurred in my family seven months ago,between me and my husband .so terrible that he took the case to court for a divorce.he said that he never wanted to stay with me again,and that he didn't love me anymore.So he packed out of the house and made me and my children passed through severe pain. I tried all my possible means to get him back,after much begging,but all to no avail.and he confirmed it that he has made his decision,and he never wanted to see me again. So on one evening,as i was coming back from work,i met an old friend of mine who asked of my husband .So i explained every thing to him,so he told me that the only way i can get my husband back,is to visit a spell caster,because it has really worked for him too.So i never believed in spell,but i had no other choice,than to follow his advice. Then he gave me the email address of the spell caster whom he visited.{Unityspelltemple@gmail.com}. So the next morning,i sent a mail to the address he gave to me,and the spell caster assured me that i will get my husband back the next day.What an amazing statement!! I never believed,so he spoke with me,and told me everything that i need to do. Then the next morning, So surprisingly, my husband who didn't call me for the past{7}months,gave me a call to inform me that he was coming back.So Amazing!! So that was how he came back that same day,with lots of love and joy,and he apologized for his mistake,and for the pain he caused me and my children. Then from that day,our marriage was now stronger than how it were before,by the help of a spell caster Dr Unity. So, i will advice you out there, if you have any problem contact Dr Unity,i give you 100% guarantee that he will help you and you will be the next to share your testimony to every one in the world.!!. Email him at: Unityspelltemple@gmail.com or call him on +2348072370762 and you can also visit his website for more details: http://unityspelltemple.yolasite.com. thanks to Dr Unity for the love he show to me and family.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'm pretty sure the song of the day is "Your Woman" White Town. Is it in your genes. I guess what you say is true? LOL

    ReplyDelete

Comments on posts over 14 days are SPAM filtered and may not show up right away or at all.

Join Amazon Prime - Watch Over 40,000 Movies

.

Comments are unmoderated. Blog owner is not responsible for third party content. By leaving comments on the blog, commenters give license to the blog owner to reprint attributed comments in any form.