Henry David Thoreau: Father Of Transcendentalism And Isolation In Eastern Philosophy

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I believe everyone values certain Transcendentalist ideas, even if they don’t know it. Because in my eyes, Transcendentalism can’t be fully taught. It must be understood, and known through experience in nature. Henry David Thoreau, one of the fathers of Transcendentalism, said, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived”. It’s well known that Thoreau was familiar with Eastern philosophy. When he describes Transcendentalism in this quote, it becomes evident. He lived life purely and remotely. He wished to find true contentment by learning more about himself and his relationship with the natural world. In Taoist terms, he was searching for the Way. Isolation in nature …show more content…

For the first sixteen years of my life I was constantly focused on things. I loved getting new ski gear, new phones, new computers, and new clothes. I wonder if you ever struggled with this? It became a problem for me because I constantly needed new toys or shiny things to be happy. The Tao Te Ching says, “The sage desires no desire, does not value rare treasures, learns without learning, recovers what people have left behind” (Chapter 64). When I got to Gould, this idea of finding happiness through experience began to resonate with me. I started to throughly enjoy my time skiing in the winter. Tree skiing specifically captured me. I found peace and joy in the silent, snowy glades around Sunday River. The way the snow clung to the pines and blocked out the rest of the world gave the woods a cozy feeling. The isolation was almost touching. Skiing became about enjoying the wintry outdoors, not what skis I would buy next. Transcendentalism helped me simplify my life, a core idea in Eastern Philosophy. It also helps humans be more peaceful

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