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Thetwo willthus be one. The difference between Hegel and Pseudo
Kierkegaard? is precisely that, while for Hegel self-consciousness
begins here, for Pseudo Kierkegaard self-consciousness becomes
real and authentic in destruction. Or, more precisely, in death. Be¬
cause in this case, death justifies the self’s existence. (How many of
us will treat death like this? Very few.) He perishes in recognition.
He dies by dreaming himself into poetry. The fate of Narcissus is
that, by recognizing the unity of the two worlds, he realizes pre¬
cisely that he can no longer be divided into two. That is, his only
chance is to fall. His blood does not rain useless to the ground.
It is as if Pseudo Kierkegaard is looking at Caravaggio’s famous
painting Narcissus (1597-99) as he writes about Narcissus, even
though the unfortunate Dane was notoriously not interested in
the fine arts: “But looking at the moment changes everything. It
brings the storm that completely shatters the soul of the young
man. Seeing the image does not mean knowledge, much less un¬
derstanding, only its infinity increases desire.” Pseudo Kierkegaard
2012. ibid) Is this life? Who knows? Rather, it is destruction itself.
Narcissus becomes a work of art. The stranger, the other will be¬
come one with the self. And from the blood of narcissus come the
flowers bearing his name.”° Caravaggio’s picture is perfect (among
other things) because it depicts Narcissus alone. There is no Echo,
no nymph, not even a dog beside him. No. Being Narcissus is a
lonely “occupation.” Besides Caravaggio, few have perceived this.
Perhaps Gyula Bencztir is an exception. The slightly twisted figure
25 Pseudo Kierkegaard is an interesting figure. On the one hand, he is a devoted
Hegelian. On the other, he almost definitely uses Hegel and Schelling in an
unscientific way, on the principle of “let it fall where it may.” He cannot be
taken very seriously.
26 Flowers growing from blood is a favorite motif in Greek mythology. Hyacinth,
the son of Spartan king Amyclus, was the lover of Apollo, who accidentally
struck him with a discus and killed him. From the blood of Hyacinth grew
the crimson hyacinth flower.