"Old age realizes the dreams of youth: look at Dean Swift; in his youth he built an asylum for the insane, in his old age he was himself an inmate"

Søren Kierkegaard’s observation explores the ironic convergence between the aspirations of youth and the realities faced in old age. By referencing Dean Swift, Jonathan Swift, the famed satirist and author, Kierkegaard illustrates a poignant reversal of fate. Swift, in his energetic youth, devoted himself to philanthropy by establishing St Patrick’s Hospital, a charitable asylum for the mentally ill in Dublin. It was an act of vision and empathy, rooted in a youthful idealism that sought to alleviate suffering and offer dignity to the marginalized.

As Swift grew older, he began to suffer from cognitive decline, likely dementia, and ultimately became a resident in the very asylum he had founded. The story reveals a deep paradox: the dreams and actions we cultivate when we feel strong and invincible may become the circumstances or solutions we rely upon when we are most vulnerable. Youth is associated with ambition, hope, and a sense of control over destiny, while old age often brings detachment from those powers and a confrontation with mortality, dependency, and decline.

Kierkegaard’s reflection is not merely about the passages of life, but about the humility that accompanies the recognition of our own limits. The youthful act of building an asylum may be interpreted as noble, but it also subtly presumes that the benefactor is separate from those he helps. Aging, however, erases such boundaries, reminding us that we are all susceptible to the vicissitudes of fate. There is an implicit invitation to compassion, both for others and for ourselves, in recognizing that the line between benefactor and beneficiary is more fragile than we might imagine.

Ultimately, the anecdote prompts reflection on how anticipation and provision for others can be acts of unconscious self-care, and how the structures we build for others’ needs may eventually cradle our own.