I discovered Kierkegaard by chance.

What struck me most was his view of life, completely at odds with Hegel's: nothing is necessary, but everything is possible. I think that is a magnificent line, because it expresses human potential, what sets us apart from animals precisely because we do not live by instinct alone.

The freedom to choose, though, leads according to K. to a state of anxiety. The quotation that gives this post its title captures my current state well.

I have always thought that choice is a sign of human progress, but also that it complicates life. There used to be a single channel on Italian television, and the whole country watched that one channel "peacefully." And whoever didn't want to watch it? They turned the TV off. Now there are many more (even setting aside the spread of digital terrestrial), and family members end up arguing over which channel to watch. And whoever doesn't want to watch? They put on another one, and only rarely (alas) turn the TV off. It is just one example of how choice complicates life, and maybe one of the reasons some people look back fondly on dictatorial eras and the like, when free will was "little exercised."

So I think life today rests above all on making the right choice. In my situation that is very hard, as it is for many others who have to decide what to do with their lives. Choosing between passion and security. It is an agonizing position, and the "Italian climate" certainly does not help chase that feeling away. There is the fear of making the wrong choice, but above all the fear of not having the time to recover from it later.

When it comes to working life I agree with Simone Weil that you have to find a good balance between action and contemplation, but I think that at this point in life action has to win out: you have to throw yourself in headfirst, without fear. Or maybe from the gut, to make even more noise and shout to everyone: "Here I am. I'm giving it a shot, I'm going my own way. And I certainly won't regret it."