The spiritual crisis of modern people is also called the crisis of faith.

Regarding this topic, the philosopher Kierkegaard, the father of existential thought, once said that when it comes to matters of faith, our only choice is to muster up the courage to "jump".

Why take the leap? What is there to jump over? And why do we need to have the courage?

After understanding this sentence, you will understand how the "crisis of faith" occurs. After getting to know the following thinkers, you will have a clear consciousness and basic ideas.

Before understanding the theories and ideas, let’s read the following paragraph:

“What I really lack is to figure out in my heart: What exactly do I want to do? Question It's about finding a 'certain' truth for me, a belief that I can live for and die for."

This passage comes from Kierkegaard when he was 22 years old. A diary written at the time. Thinking and caring about issues such as the meaning of life are actually what philosophers call "ultimate concern."

And we are not willing to admit that ultimate care is only a subject for philosophers. For example, when you have worked all day and are exhausted, looking at the busy traffic and bright lights outside the window, will there be a moment when you want to Ask yourself: "Why are you working so hard?"

There can be many answers, such as "for family", "for a better life" and so on. It’s not hard to name a specific goal, but asking what the specific goal means requires a larger purpose. If you keep asking, you will encounter the fundamental question: What is life for? What is the meaning of life?

Ultimate care is "ultimate" because it pursues the answer to all answers. To give this answer, you must have some basis, and this basis is "life belief" or "life ideal".

Some people will also say that we don’t necessarily have to ask about the meaning. It is enough for me to live my own life, and there is no need to ask so many questions. Indeed, we may be able to live our daily lives without thinking about beliefs and meanings. It seems that it can avoid asking the fundamental question, which solves the problem of faith.

But, can you really avoid it? This is a big question.

Many philosophers believe that if avoidance is a method, then this method only pretends to solve the problem. The question of faith is like a ghost that will always meet you unexpectedly at some point. Because people need to face two huge problems on the spiritual level, one is death and the other is greed.

Let’s talk about death first. Is death a significant issue? Others say this is not a problem. Epicurus, a philosopher in ancient Greece, said: If you are thinking about death, it means you are still alive. Since you are alive, there is no need to worry about "death"; when you die, you will know nothing. "Death" ” is no longer a problem. You see, according to this statement, there is no need to worry about "death".

Can "unnecessary" end this problem? I won't comment yet. Although we are alive now, man is aware of death. We know that death is a possibility, and it is a possibility so cruel that it is the possibility that ends all other possibilities. It is true that "all people are mortal", but there is also the concept of "eternity" in human consciousness. The contrast between the two will bury a deep sadness in people's hearts, so we will mourn the deceased, and we will also be worried and afraid of our own death.

Another problem is "greed". After all, human beings are biological beings and have some primitive and animal desires. But at the same time, humans are spiritual beings. We have conscience and a sense of morality. Animal desires often conflict with conscience and moral sense. Just like the contrast between "mortality" and "eternity", there is also a contrast between primitive desires and "sublimity". This kind of comparison can make us feel ashamed and unwilling. In serious cases, it can even make us feel that our lives are humble.

Death and greed pose two major spiritual problems to people. Ultimate care is actually to deal with these problems.

How to deal with it? A typical solution is religion. For example, Christianity talks about "soul salvation", saying that although the body will die, the soul can live forever; although mortals are humble and sinful, they can reach a sublime state with pious faith. This is the program of religion.

The same goes for non-religious ideals of life. When we were young, we studied Lei Feng. One of his famous sayings is, "Human life is limited, but serving the people is infinite. I must devote my limited life to unlimited service to the people." You see, this also deals with the two dilemmas mentioned earlier: dedicate your life to an infinite cause, and find your eternal belonging in your short life. It also points to a path to the sublime, by which one can rise above individual humility.

We have seen that both religious and non-religious ideals of life can provide solutions to the problems of death and greed. So here comes the question. Since the plan is here and it’s very clear, why is there still a crisis of faith?

The crisis of faith comes from a rift, a rift between "truth" and "faith".

Take the example of religion. In the past, religion was widely accepted both ideologically and in social reality. At that time, believing in religion was a default choice: in the spiritual world, religion represented holiness and righteousness; in the real world, most people believed in religion, which was the mainstream of society.

However, when history crosses a node, this "default" status is broken. This node is the "change between ancient and modern times" mentioned before. After the changes between ancient and modern times, faith has encountered challenges from rationalism. People realize that if something requires us to believe it, then it should prove itself to be true and credible. The significance of faith in life is so great, and it is even more important to prove its reliability.

But if you insist on unifying "faith" and "truth", you will be in big trouble.

What does faith in life provide us? One is the promise of eternity, and the other is the guidance of the sublime. First recall the logic of "fact judgment" and "value judgment" and judge "what is noble". Do you think this is a fact judgment or a value judgment?

Obviously, this is a value judgment. So the cracks have appeared.

First of all, faith is a value judgment;

Secondly, modern people’s requirement for faith is that “it must be true and reliable”;

However, "True or false" is the criterion for judging facts.

When it comes to matters of faith, people are using the same criteria for reviewing factual judgments to review a value judgment. It's like using the speed standard of a sprint race to evaluate whether a painting is beautiful or not. It doesn't work.

The philosopher Kierkegaard struggled with this problem his entire life. Finally, he came to a conclusion: We cannot rely on logic and knowledge to confirm whether a belief is true. Only by bravely "jumping" can we cross this gap. This is actually an adventure. Because we don’t know whether the result of this jump will be to reach the other shore or fall into the abyss, we can’t even calculate the probability of this.

Why take the leap? It is because reason alone cannot reach the other side of faith. Only by leaping forward can it be possible to cross the gap between knowledge and faith. The consequences of this leap are unpredictable. There may be salvation ahead, or it may be nothing. This is a complete adventure and requires a lot of courage.

Of course, Kierkegaard’s assertion is directed at religious beliefs. And I think what Kierkegaard actually wants to say is: it is a dilemma that everyone who asks for the meaning of life will encounter. Even if the life belief you choose has nothing to do with religion, it is the same.

For example, a mountaineer regards mountaineering as his belief. When a reporter asked him why he wanted to climb the mountain, he replied "because the mountain is there." But does this answer stand up to rational scrutiny? Can reason prove that mountain climbing is a great and valuable thing? Choosing this belief is actually a kind of "leap". But what’s even more painful is that many people don’t even have goals and don’t know where to “leap” to. This is the crisis of faith, or spiritual crisis, that modern people face.

The answer is not absolute, thoughts are always inspiring

In general, people will always continue to ask about the meaning of life, and the ultimate questioning will always encounter death and greed. Two big problems. To cope with the challenges of these two major problems, we need a reliable belief in life. After being baptized by Enlightenment rationalism, modern people are more inclined to confirm or verify the reliability of beliefs based on reason. However, there is an unbridgeable gap between reason and faith, with the result that establishing faith has become very difficult in the modern world. And this situation is closely connected with the "spiritual crisis of modern people."

If you are also troubled by this problem, don’t be afraid, because you are not alone. Some of the most amazing minds in human history have thought about this question and given their own answers. Their answers are not absolute, and we can find inspiration for ourselves in these answers.

Later note: Next, there are three thinkers who have profound insights into this issue: Nietzsche, Freud, and Sartre. The first is Nietzsche, the German who shouted "God is dead" and shocked the spiritual world of a generation. Let’s explore together tomorrow!