Fear leads to trembling, trembling leads to faith, and faith leads to greatness. « jredc

No, not one shall be forgotten who was great in the world. But each was great in his own way, and each in proportion to the greatness of that which he loved. For he who loved himself became great by himself, and he who loved other men became great by his selfless devotion, but he who loved God became greater than all. Everyone shall be remembered, but each became great in proportion to his expectation. One became great by expecting the possible, another by expecting the eternal, but he who expected the impossible became greater than all. Everyone shall be remembered, but each was great in proportion to the greatness of that with which he strove.

~Soren Kierkegaard

Everyone wants to be remembered.  Everyone wants to leave a legacy.  Everyone wants to have something that they leave behind, that which reminds people that they existed.  What can we do to make sure that the world remembers us?  Do we exist for a while, only to be forgotten when we die?

Kierkegaard says that this is not so, but only as much as one expects out of life.  Becoming great by expecting the possible is easy for anyone to do, and thus, not very memorable.  Becoming great for expecting the impossible, he says, is what makes one remembered and makes one truly great.

I find it interesting that Kierkegaard seems to be exalting the pursuit of greatness, the pursuit of being remembered.  This is admirable, but not usually celebrated by philosophers.  So is that really what he is saying?  Is he encouraging the pursuit of fame and fortune?  Is he urging us to create a name for ourselves by being the best we can be?

In a way, yes, but for less selfish reasons than one might expect.  He goes on:

For he who strove with the world became great by overcoming the world, and he who strove with himself became great by overcoming himself, but he who strove with God became greater than all. So there was strife in the world, man against man, one against a thousand, but he who strove with God was greater than all. So there was strife upon earth: there was one who overcame all by his power, and there was one who overcame God by his impotence. There was one who relied upon himself and gained all, there was one who secure in his strength sacrificed all, but he who believed God was greater than all.

No longer is he extolling the virtues of fame and fortune, but now he is extolling the virtue of faith.  In this particular case, the faith of Abraham.  The faith that made a father willing to sacrifice all he had to follow his faith in his Lord.  No longer is one remembered because of their achievements, but one is truly remembered by the faith that they had.  The faith they show, when they wrestle with their earthly doubts and fears, and overcome them in the faith that comes from truly trusting in their Lord.

I believe this is the crux of what Kierkegaard is trying to convey in Fear and Trembling, for it truly is a fear of God that makes one great.  Not of being afraid, but of the reverence and pursuit of a holy life that makes one great.  Why do people remember Ghandi or Mother Theresa?  They are remembered for their faith, not that they slew dragons or discovered the new world.  Their faith is what made them great.