Faith, Uncertainty, and the Meaning Born of Action
Act in faith about what you cannot foresee; meaning unfolds from motion. — Søren Kierkegaard
Trusting Beyond the Visible
Kierkegaard’s line, “Act in faith about what you cannot foresee,” captures his conviction that human life is lived on the edge of uncertainty. Rather than waiting for perfect clarity, he urges us to move while the path is still obscured. In works like *Fear and Trembling* (1843), he portrays biblical Abraham walking toward an unknown outcome, not because he understands everything, but because he dares to trust despite his confusion. Thus, faith here is not blind stubbornness; it is a courageous willingness to proceed without guarantees, accepting that risk is woven into existence itself.
Existence as a Journey, Not a Blueprint
From this starting point, Kierkegaard distinguishes between abstract knowledge and lived existence. You can plan, calculate, and imagine, yet life will still exceed your forecasts. He argues in *Either/Or* (1843) that no ethical system or rational blueprint can fully capture what it means to exist as a single individual with concrete choices. Therefore, action precedes full understanding: you step into a job, a relationship, or a vocation without knowing its final shape. It is only by journeying—rather than by drafting the perfect map—that your life acquires contour, depth, and direction.
Meaning Arising From Motion
The second half of the quote—“meaning unfolds from motion”—clarifies how understanding emerges. Kierkegaard insists that truths about yourself and your world cannot be grasped in detached stillness; they must be discovered in the very act of living. Just as a novel’s theme becomes clear only as the plot advances, your choices gradually reveal what matters to you. A student, for instance, may not grasp why a field of study is significant until months of practice, failure, and growth have passed. In this way, motion—concrete engagement with life—becomes the stage on which meaning slowly discloses itself.
The Leap of Faith and Its Risks
Naturally, this motion is never risk-free. Kierkegaard famously describes faith as a “leap,” emphasizing that one must jump without a full view of the landing. In *Concluding Unscientific Postscript* (1846), he criticizes the desire for absolute certainty before committing to anything, arguing that such a demand leads to paralysis. Instead, he suggests that risk is inseparable from authenticity: to love someone, to commit to a belief, or to pursue a calling always means stepping into the unforeseeable. Failure and disappointment remain possible, yet he contends that not leaping at all is the greater loss, for it leaves one stranded in empty possibility.
Freedom, Responsibility, and Becoming Oneself
This emphasis on acting in faith also heightens personal responsibility. Because meaning arises from your own motion, you cannot outsource your becoming to social norms or abstract theories. In *The Sickness Unto Death* (1849), Kierkegaard describes the self as a task—to become oneself is to continually choose how to relate to one’s possibilities. Acting in faith, therefore, is not reckless spontaneity but a disciplined, reflective engagement with your freedom. As you move, reflect, and move again, you gradually shape a life that is not merely accidental but owned, interpreted, and inhabited from within.
Living Forward, Understanding Backward
Finally, Kierkegaard’s insight resonates with his well-known remark that “life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” At the moment of decision, you cannot foresee all consequences; only later do patterns and meanings become visible. The quote therefore invites a specific posture toward time: live forward in faith, accepting opacity, and then interpret backward in patience. By holding these together—courage in moving ahead, humility in understanding later—you inhabit a more honest, dynamic view of meaning, one that is not discovered in advance but gradually revealed through the very fact that you dared to act.