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* This is something I may be in the very best position to claim, being myself a younger author who never, thank God, had anything to do with the demands of the age in the way of active service on its behalf. My experience with the demands of the age has been as with my military service: I got my discharge immediately and both times it was what I wanted. But by beginning with the discharge one always has the advantage of not becoming too deeply involved. [In his first student year Kierkegaard enlisted, as was the rule, in the King’s Guard but was discharged four days later as physically unfit to serve. Trans.]