The majority of men are subjective towards themselves and objective towards all others, terribly objective sometimes—but the real task is in fact to be objective towards oneself and subjective towards all others.—Kierkegaard, Papier VIII, p. A308
12/30 update:
My interpretation:
When people view themselves they often do so without judgment, accepting as they do that they are fluid individuals who cannot be defined or essentialized by any single moment. The self is always in progress, never fully formed, and the path it follows is only made as it goes.
Meanwhile, people often view others as finished products. Coldly, objectively—by facts rather than possibilities.
The advice, then, is this:
Be harsh on yourself; judge yourself by facts and by your actions. But, all the while, acknowledge your own perspective when you consider others, and don't judge them.
This may not have been exactly what Kierkegaard meant, but it works just as well for me.
When people view themselves they often do so without judgment, accepting as they do that they are fluid individuals who cannot be defined or essentialized by any single moment. The self is always in progress, never fully formed, and the path it follows is only made as it goes.
Meanwhile, people often view others as finished products. Coldly, objectively—by facts rather than possibilities.
The advice, then, is this:
Be harsh on yourself; judge yourself by facts and by your actions. But, all the while, acknowledge your own perspective when you consider others, and don't judge them.
This may not have been exactly what Kierkegaard meant, but it works just as well for me.
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