In The Present Age by 19th-century Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard characterizes the late modern age as an age of passionless reflection and also contrasts the modern age with age of revolution. Kierkegaard wrote The Present Age in 1846, however, his notion of reflection is still relevant and applicable to our time. Some of the points raised by Kierkegaard that are still recognizable today are: how passionless reflection has brought a population into a state of inaction, how we have become fixated with useless abstractions like money, and how we desire short-lived enthusiasm. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay First, Kierkegaard claims to live in an age of passionless reflection, which leads to indecision and passivity. “Everyone is experienced in indecision and evasion and waits for someone to come along who wants something.” This can be seen very clearly in our current age with the rise of the media, which allows people to feel part of the “public”. Rather than having to actually stand up when there is a humanitarian crisis, or put their individual, physical bodies on the line. People are able to “reflect” by liking an Instagram post that brings social awareness to a problematic or unfair situation, wearing safety pins on their clothes to show they support a certain opinion, or using hashtags to show the cause on which they are thinking about. From. This type of “performative alliance” allows individuals to remain in a continuous state of inactivity, instead of becoming active and fighting for what they represent. Our current era lives in a social environment dominated by the Internet and the media, the expectation of publicity and of becoming an inactive ally is implicit in almost all our actions. We live in the age of advertising; where nothing happens, but there is immediate publicity about it. Secondly, Kierkegaard states that “ultimately the object of desire is money, but in reality it is symbolic money, an abstraction”. Kierkegaard sees this as both natural and problematic, as we become more and more prone to valueless “abstractions” like money. This can be seen very clearly in today's generation's obsession with money. As I walked the halls of Florida International University, I heard conversations about which majors had earned the most money and recommendations on how to change majors to get the desired amount of “token money.” Most students choose their major based on the income the career will bring, rather than studying a career they are passionate about. As a side effect, we will become slaves to the system and lose our sense of individuality to become like any other graduate with a passionless job. Kierkegaard, finally, presents us with this idea of ​​“short-lived enthusiasm”; he writes "The present age is essentially a sensible, thoughtful, passionless age, which flares up in superficial and short-lived enthusiasm and prudently relaxes into indolence." Kierkegaard talks about something that will bring us temporary happiness. This may be reflected in the hookup culture, drug addiction and social media addiction of our age. We do not look for happiness within ourselves but external factors. These external factors do not satisfy us because they are not long-term. They leave us wanting to know more, for example: how young people put their lives in danger just to get more likes on social media. We are in a constant state of seeking “short-lived excitement” and validation from others and the.