To transcend ones self
he must first open himself to possibility's
By realizing truth of a situation
dispelling the lie of his character
by breaking his spirit
out of its conditioned prison
The enemy for Kierkegaard
as for Freud is the Oedipus complex
The child has built up strategies
and techniques for keeping his self-esteem
in the face of the terror
of his situation These techniques become an armor that holds the person prisoner
The very defenses he needs to move about
with self-confidence and self-esteem
become his lifelong trap
In order to transcend himself he must break down that which he needs in order to live
Like Lear he must throw off all his "cultural lendings" and stand naked in the storm of life. Kierkegaard had no illusions about man's urge to freedom. He knew how comfortable people were inside the prison of their character defenses
Like many prisoners
they are comfortable in their limited
protected routines and the idea of a parole into the wide world of chance accident and choice terrifies them.
