Transcendentalism is the philosophy that reality cannot be known and the
divine is the guiding principle in man. Transcendentalism says that the way
to god is through yourself; your inner thoughts lead you to a spiritual
reality. Transcendentalism is made up of four main ideas: idealism,
optimism, religion, and individualism. In Emerson's essay "Self Reliance,"
he expresses his optimistic faith in the power of individual achievement and
originality. He also considered the overarching need to discover and develop
a relationship with nature and with god. I agree with Emerson's ideas that
"envy is ignorance; imitation is suicide," "that whoso would be a man must be
a nonconformist," and "a man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart
into his work and done his best; but what he has said or done otherwise,
shall give him no peace."
I agree with Emerson's idea that "envy is ignorance; imitation is
suicide." This means that you should be yourself and not try to be like
someone who you are not. Envying someone else for what they are wearing is
just plain out being ignorant; imitating someone is killing your
individualism. You need to do things for yourself and not for anyone else.
For example, one time I was talking to this kid who had those big raver pants
on, he said he hated wearing them, so I asked him why he was wearing them and
he said that he was going to a rave that night and he just wanted to fit in
with all the people there. He was imitating other people who go to raves
just to be cool and conform to their style of dressing. You need to act
yourself and not try to be someone you are not.
I agree with Emerson's idea that "a man is relieved and gay when he has
put his heart into his work and done his best; but what he has said or done
otherwise, shall give him no peace." This means that when a man has tried as
hard as he can and has put every last effort into his work, he is relieved
and satisfied with what he has accomplished. For an example, I had a history
project to do and I have been working on it diligently on it for the last
week. The day I finished it and turned it in I felt proud of myself and
But he does not simply dispel the myths of early 20th century gay life, he also details such myths to...
of getting what he wanted no matter how long or how hard he had to
for him to keep a great deal of pride regardless of his loss in the
and I wanted to fit in, I wanted what he had…” Here he is rapping about wanting to be
occasion and beat the odds and become a better man, or he can follow in the footsteps
He had worked very hard to get where he was, which made him a very real person in an
The word Transcendentalism, as used at the present day, has two applications. One of which is popular and indefinite, the other, philosophical and precise. In the former sense it describes man, rather than opinions, since it is freely extended to those who hold opinions, not only diverse from each other, but directly opposed. (1)
They see my friend Travis, who's dyed his dirty blonde hair jet black, and wears spikes and chains, and think: RAPIST! POT HEAD! BAD INFLUENCE! THE RUIN OF AMERICA!
Before we go any further, I think I should first dispel some rumors and ease your mind of the negative thoughts that must be sweeping through it. What do you think of when you hear the word rave? Drugs? Hoodlum kids running amuck? Loud music that interferes with the whole community’s sleeping habits? Violence? The dictionary defines the word “rave” as a numerous amount of things, such as “an act or instance” or the verb “to talk with extreme enthusiasm,” but this is one case where Webster has got it all wrong. What is the true definition of a rave? In most cases, a rave is simply a dance party where guests experience a sense of camaraderie and elevated consciousness through the presence of music. This means there is an abundance of dance expression, interaction with other such ravers, and a positive mood change. And while there are sometimes drugs involved, there is absolutely no deliberate disturbance of the peace and zero tolerance for violence. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s divulge into the history of this invigorating phenomenon.
it is his." In this quote Emerson is elaborating on the idea that we must all exude
him to keep trying his hardest and to not let anything or anyone get in his way.
When an average person seeks happiness, most often they search in the wrong place: "If only I could have that I would be happy." For ages, man has been seeking happiness from outside, not within. People have the misconception that material things and materialistic goals will bring them ultimate happiness, but in truth those only bring transient happiness. True and lasting happiness can be reached from within when one realizes the ultimate truth. This ultimate truth, the main focus of transcendentalism, can be reached through self-reliance, nature, and oversoul, the main principals of the philosophy. By meditation, by communing with nature, through work and art, man could transcend his senses and attain an understanding of beauty, goodness, and truth.
That Government Is Best which Governs Not at All Henry David Thoreau was an American author, philosopher and historian. The roots of the political views of Thoreau derive from Transcendentalism - a philosophy that became influential in the late 18th century and 19th century. Transcendentalism rejects the idea that knowledge can be fully derived from experience and observation of the physical world. American transcendentalism reached its peak in New England in the 1840s, under the leadership of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson argued that, while the physical world is important, providing us with necessary goods and frequent beauty, people should live their lives based on truths grasped through reason, not just physical perception.
...ers. He found that “supervisors with the best records of performance focus on their primary attention on the human aspects of their subordinate’s problems and on endeavoring to build effective work groups with high performance goals.”
He did his best in whatever he did. Even though everyone discouraged him and talked behind his back about how he, as such a small boy would not be able to do anything, he used his fullest potential to do everything he did with sincerity. Life was very complex for him from the age of 8, but he managed to jump over the many obstacles with a smile on his face.