The Aesthetic Person

Last weekend, on the way back from Big White, we (my family) were listening to a radio program on CKNW. I'm not sure what the program was or who the host is, but he was taking calls and for the most part each discussion was government related. However, one lady called, who I assume is a frequent caller (or possibly part of the show?) because the host asked her what she was cooking and for some recipe tips. After she had gone through her dinner list, she started talking about a rumour she heard about something in government (I think something to do with Emerson switching over) and then she said something like "I love gossip, especially when I start the rumours." The host replied that yes, it seems likes every human being loves gossip, but he knows two people, in all his life, that do not gossip. They won't even get close to it, and you can't even trick them into it. To this, the lady responded, "Oh! They must be sooooo boring!" He replied that no, they were in fact brilliant people, and she, unconvinced, asked, "They're not boring???" to which he said, "No, they are very brilliant."

After learning about Kierkegaard's spheres of existence, I recalled this and thought about how this lady caller could fit right into the Aesthetic sphere. Ethics is completely boring to her; gossip is fun. After hearing the conversation I remember thinking that so many people are like that. Anytime a person chooses to hold to some ethical integrity, the first description thrust upon them is "boring." So, although I know that nobody can epitomize the Aesthetic sphere, I think that such a "type of person," who only discerns between fun/interesting or boring, is quite common in our country. An amazing insight by Kierkegaard.