Søren Kierkegaard: How Modern Success Creates "The Sickness Unto Death"?

Think for a moment about the modern success story. What image comes to mind? Is it the sleek startup founder, the influential content creator, the high-flying executive with a sprawling LinkedIn network? We are told that success is within reach, that if we work hard enough, network relentlessly, and optimize every moment, we can "have it all." Yet, why does it often feel like "having it all" leaves us with a hollow ache?

Why, amidst unprecedented connectivity and material abundance, do rates of anxiety, depression, and a profound sense of meaninglessness continue to climb? Centuries before the internet, before hustle culture and personal branding, a Danish philosopher named Søren Kierkegaard peered into the human soul and foresaw this precise malady. He called it "The Sickness Unto Death"—a profound spiritual despair that, paradoxically, can be intensified by the very pursuit and achievement of what modern society defines as success.

The Illusion of "Having It All"

Our contemporary world relentlessly projects an image of what a "successful life" looks like. It’s a curated feed of achievements, experiences, and possessions. We are conditioned to measure our worth not by inner peace or genuine connection, but by external metrics: net worth, follower counts, career progression, the size of our home, the prestige of our degree. This ceaseless pursuit often transforms us. We become adept performers, crafting identities designed to impress, to secure our next promotion, or to validate our perceived status. But in this performance, who are we really becoming? Are we evolving, or are we simply conforming to a script written by societal expectations? Kierkegaard would argue that this is where the sickness begins. When our lives become solely about external validation, we forget the crucial internal work of becoming a self. We lose ourselves in the "crowd," in the endless echo chamber of comparison and competition.

What is "The Sickness Unto Death"?

For Kierkegaard, "The Sickness Unto Death" is not a physical ailment or even just deep sadness. It is despair, specifically, the despair of not being oneself. It’s a spiritual condition where the self, unable or unwilling to relate to its own eternal dimension, refuses to accept itself as it truly is. Imagine a highly successful individual—wealthy, admired, seemingly fulfilled. Yet, beneath the surface, there's a gnawing emptiness. They might feel like an impostor, or that their achievements don't truly satisfy them. They might be terrified of losing their status, or of being truly known. This is a manifestation of despair. Kierkegaard identified several forms of despair, each relevant to the modern condition:

• Despair of Weakness: Not wanting to be oneself. This is often seen in those who constantly compare themselves to others, wishing they were someone else, or that their circumstances were different. In the age of social media, this form of despair is rampant, fueled by curated highlight reels.

• Despair of Defiance: Willfully refusing to be oneself. This person might consciously reject their true nature or responsibilities, often adopting a rebellious or cynical stance. They may feel trapped by their success and lash out against the very system that created it, yet offer no alternative path to selfhood.

• Despair of the Finite: Losing oneself in worldly things. This is the classic trap of modern success—believing that wealth, power, fame, or pleasure will bring ultimate satisfaction. When these finite things fail to deliver, the self is left hollow, having neglected its infinite possibilities.

• Despair of the Infinite: Losing oneself in abstract possibilities, failing to commit to concrete life. This person might be perpetually planning, dreaming, or philosophizing, but never grounding themselves in actual choices and responsibilities. The "infinite possibilities" of modern life can paralyze us into inaction.

All these forms of despair converge on one point: a fundamental alienation from the self. To truly grasp the nuanced depths of this concept, you might find this explanation helpful:

The Perils of the "Universal Individual"

Modern society, with its focus on metrics and conformity, subtly discourages radical individuality. We are encouraged to be "team players," to fit into professional molds, to speak in buzzwords. Our success often depends on how well we assimilate into existing structures. Kierkegaard was deeply critical of the "public" or "the crowd." He saw it as an abstraction that erodes genuine individuality and personal responsibility. When we derive our identity from our position within the "crowd," we surrender the very essence of our unique self.

“The crowd is untruth.”

This isn't to say that community is bad, but rather that when our selfhood is dissolved into the collective, we avoid the existential responsibility of becoming a unique, authentic self. Modern success often demands this very dissolution, forcing us to become a "universal individual" that fits into every demographic and corporate hierarchy, rather than a singular, passionate soul.

From Success to Self-Alienation

The most insidious aspect of this "sickness" in the context of modern success is how the tools meant to empower us can ultimately alienate us from ourselves. Our smartphones, productivity apps, and social networks are designed to make us more efficient, more connected, more visible. Yet, consider the constant demand for attention, the pressure to maintain an "online presence," the blurring lines between work and personal life. We become perpetual performers, our internal lives increasingly dictated by external demands. We might achieve incredible things: build a booming business, gain global recognition, amass significant wealth. But if these achievements are built on a foundation of self-forgetting, on a refusal to grapple with the deeper questions of meaning and identity, then success becomes a gilded cage. We become alienated from our own deepest longings, our fears, and our true calling. We are busy. We are productive. We are "successful." But are we truly present to our own lives? Are we genuinely, authentically ourselves?

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The Courage to Be Yourself

Kierkegaard's profound insight serves as a vital warning for our times. Modern success, pursued without a robust inner life and a courageous commitment to being oneself, is not a path to fulfillment but a subtle descent into "The Sickness Unto Death." It’s a despair that thrives not in poverty or failure, but often in the very abundance and achievement we tirelessly pursue. The remedy, Kierkegaard suggests, lies not in abandoning ambition, but in transforming its object. It lies in the terrifying yet liberating act of choosing to be oneself, faults and all, in relation to something higher than fleeting worldly praise. It’s a call to authenticity, to confront our despair, and to build a self that can withstand the siren song of superficial success. Are we truly living, or merely succeeding ourselves into sickness? The answer, for each of us, lies in the daily courage to acknowledge and cultivate the unique, irreplaceable self that lies beneath the layers of expectation and achievement. This is the real success. What are your thoughts on how modern life might contribute to this "sickness"? Share your reflections in the comments below.