Transcendentalism by iwrestleyomama

                What is transcendentalism?  Many transcendentalism writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson are interested in the human senses and how humanity is related to the natural world. In his short story, from Nature, Emerson attempts to personify the peaceful sense of nature and how we can relate to it.  In his other short story, from Self Reliance, he describes what one must work for to achieve his goals. Transcendentalism can be revealed through self reliance, the Over-Soul, and through peace.

                Self Reliance has to be one of the more important parts of transcendentalism.  To be able to rely on one’s self takes much responsibility.  During times such as high school, self reliance becomes essential because you are the only person to count on to perform well in school and obtain good grades.  Other adults at high paying jobs must rely on themselves to budget their time to get work done.  Ralph Waldo Emerson stated “trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string”.  In this he means if you believe in yourself, possibilities are endless.  Some high school students give up early and let their grades drop, which leads to dropping out and possibly end up with a low paying job.  Most people do not realize it but self reliance is very important in the young life as well as the old.

                The Over-Soul is the shared universal soul which contains all forms of being- God, nature and humanity.  God is the most influential religious figure in the world.  Most people find peace in Catholicism to make it through their day or to ask God for guidance and/or any kind of help.  Others use the relaxing sense of nature to calm the stresses of everyday life.  This is why some people go to areas with beautiful views that please the eye such as Hawaii, Italy or Mexico.  This is to have the feeling that one is away and relaxation is much easier to obtain.  Humanity is the thing we tend to relate everything else to.

                To most people, finding peace is one of the hardest things to do.  People with busy lives and vocations usually don’t even have time for themselves.  Peace for some people is easy to obtain but for those who have unimaginable troubles, makes them unable to relax.  The inability to relax often leads to bad habits such as smoking.  The nicotine allows one to relax but does not fix anything.  To obtain peace, one must sort out all the problems, find the root, and fix it so that nicotine isn’t needed to have a natural relaxation. 

How are the human senses related to the natural world?  We are meant to relate.  Ever since humans have been on the earth, we have been relating and admiring its relaxing landscapes and beautiful views.  All these keys to relation to religion and the natural world can help one find peace and their own over-soul.  Emerson and Thereou wrote about transcendentalism  and they might have achieved it.