Søren Kierkegaard (1813 - 1855), a Danish philosopher, theologian, and writer observed that part of the human condition is that we move through time in only one direction. We have no idea what lies in the future or the impact our choices will have on our lives. Given this, our understanding of events only happens after we have experienced them in our lives.
“It is really true what philosophy tells us, that life must be understood backwards. But with this, one forgets the second proposition, that it must be lived forwards. A proposition which, the more it is subjected to careful thought, the more it ends up concluding precisely that life at any given moment cannot really ever be fully understood; exactly because there is no single moment where time stops completely in order for me to take position [to do this]: going backwards.” - Søren Kierkegaard, Journal entry no. 4, 1843, “Journals and Notebooks,” edited by Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong
The observation from Kierkegaard’s journal entry is usually summarised as follows:
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
This widely cited quote captures one of Kierkegaard’s enduring existential insights which talks to the tension between the rational understanding and the lived experience of human existence.
This blog explores Kierkegaard’s enduring insight that life can only be understood in hindsight but must be lived without foresight, and unpacks what this means for how we choose to live.
Life is Only Understood by Looking Backwards
We can intuitively grasp Kierkegaard’s idea that life can only be understood by looking backwards. It is through reflection, in conversation, journaling, or quiet introspection, that we make sense of our experiences. We start to understand why certain events happened, how we reacted, and what shaped our responses. Crucially, we can only begin this interpretive work after we have lived through these experiences. As philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer observed, “understanding is always interpretation” and interpretation requires retrospect. We seek to understand our lives through reflection, looking backwards at what happened.
Life is Live Forwards as Existence is Continuously Unfolding
Kierkegaard makes a second observation, that “there is no single moment where time stops”. The implication is that we have to decide and act in real-time, without a full understanding of the implications our actions. As we’re constantly moving forward in time and we don’t get the opportunity to pause and understand.
Life is a continuously unfolding experience. Any single moment in the flow of life cannot be fully understood, life does not stop, nor does it give us time to understand the future meaning of our actions. We live our lives in uncertainty and ambiguity, with incomplete information. We don’t know what the future holds and we don’t fully understand what’s happening in the present moment as life unfolds.
“Human life occurs only once, and the reason we cannot determine which of our decisions are good and which bad is that in a given situation we can only make one decision; we are not granted a second, third or fourth life in which to compare various decisions.” - Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being
These two observations about how we experience life have significant implications in how we think about how to live our lives.
Bias Your Life Towards Act-Then-Reflect Over Reflect-Then-Act
Rather than treating rational reflection as a prerequisite for action, Kierkegaard’s insight encourages a shift toward acting first and reflecting afterward. The unfolding nature of life, with all its ambiguity, partial information, and uncertain consequences, means we must often decide and act, before we can fully know. This is where existential courage lies: in making choices that are not guaranteed, yet necessary.
“To think too much is a disease.” - Fyodor Dostoevsky
Given our present moment and our future us unknowable and unfolding, trying to plan and control everything that will happen is a futile exercise. There is therefore no way we can plan and execute the life we want. You can never plan away the ambiguity, the uncertainty and complexities of life, as we live in a constantly unfolding experience. You cannot fight against reality with plans, strategies and schemes. We have to accept that life is uncertain and that we’ll always have incomplete information.
The best way to live in a continuously unfolding world then is to act. Rather then spending endless hours in analysis and planning. Engaging with the world around us as it unfolds demands that we act despite the uncertainty and ambiguity.
Live with Trust in Yourself and a Focus on the Present Moment
As long as you’re alive, there will always be a future and this has two implications.
The first is that we should live so that we’re not held hostage by our past. Whilst past experiences, shape our beliefs, values and emotional responses, we should strive to free ourselves from these past constraints. This means working to minimise the impact of the past in the present moment, seeking to reduce the effect of our past and how we’re being in the present moment.
The second implication is that life is constantly moving forward, given this the best way of bing, is to live a life with focus on the present. Rather than trying to fix the past or solve for an unknowable, unfolding future. Keep your focus on engaging with the unfolding reality in this present moment. This is the only feasible plan, scheme and strategy we have and it’s the only solution we need.
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” - Steve Jobs
Recognise that there is no, best way forward, rather there are simply alternative paths. Therefore we have to learn to adapt and work with our unfolding reality. You have to trust yourself, your experiences, who you are and all you’ve learnt leading up to this moment. Knowing this, act with the confidence that you’ll find the right expression in how you choose to act.
Make Space of Mistakes, Knowing This Too Shall Pass
Lastly, remind yourself that life is unfolding, uncertain, ambiguous and unknowable, you will therefore make mistakes. Mistakes can hurt and become painful. Yet we know that life is continuously unfolding, therefore reminding ourselves that this too shall pass, helps us become more resilient and prevents the past from seizing control of the current moment. It helps us accept the reality that a lot of life is outside our control, we will make mistakes and that’s okay.
Remember this lesson when reflecting on the mistakes of others. Learn to become more tolerant of the mistakes of others. They too are working within the same reality.
In Summary
You don’t need to have all the answers before moving forward. Life will rarely make perfect sense in the moment and that’s okay. The dots usually connect long after the dust settles. What matters most is choosing to live, choosing to live fully, honestly, and courageously, despite the uncertainty.