Individualism Vs Transcendentalism

In addition, transcendentalism influences us in 2017 because people can be true to themselves and to nonconform. In Self-Reliance, Emerson says, “This is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion” (279). Emerson explains how important it is to be independent, to follow what makes you happy and don't care what the society have to say. In today's world, if everyone conforms we would all do the same exact thing and life wouldn’t be as excited as every day to try different things and adventure as many places. Emerson shows us to be confident with ourselves and to be against the crowd by being

According to the New York Times, teenagers listen to an average of 2.5 hours of music in a singular day. The messages coming through in each song may vary between drug/alcohol reference or transcendentalism. No matter where there is music, there is a lesson to be learned through ideas that Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau created. Though transcendentalism is a relatively foreign word to most, it can be defined by using five i's: individualism, inspiration, intuition, idealism and imagination which are displayed on all platforms of music today. The different music genres may vary between music from the late 1990's and children's movies today.

The philosophy of Transcendentalism, according to the article “Transcendentalism, An American Philosophy” is believed to have been created and led by Ralph Waldo Emerson, which is why he is considered by many literary scholars and historians to be the father of Transcendentalism. Throughout the years, this philosophy attracted other artists and thinkers such as the American Romantic novelist Henry David Thoreau. These prominent and poetic individuals created an insight for this movement, believing in the true and significant values of individualism, minimalism, and spirituality in their lives. These specific aspects can be found in Thoreau’s most famous work, and Transcendentalist staple, Walden. This novel was a reminiscence of his life

For instance, in Emerson’s poem called “Self-Reliance” he tries to explain to his audience that “imitation is suicide” and that people need to accept “[themselves] for better, for worse, for [their] portion” (245). Here Emerson compares suicide to imitating another to fit in. In transcendentalism it was strongly believed that one must let their inner self be free to do and go as it pleases. They hated conforming, especially just for the fun of it or to become accepted by a group of people. Here the other side of the extreme is shown, it went from puritism which supports major conformity to transcendentalism which believes that if one was copying another, they might as well be dead because they are sacrificing their inner self to become acknowledged. Later on in his poem Emerson goes on to state that “whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist” (257). As his audience can see Emerson has no patience for those who pretend to be someone they are truly not. Transcendentalists saw their inner being as a part of something bigger and they believed that even if they were different in what they valued they were all still a part of the same Oversoul and were born that way for a reason. If one was to violate their individuality by trying to become like someone else they wasted their natural gifts

Between the 1840s and 1860s, the movement known as Transcendentalism surfaced and soared. The Transcendentalist movement began as a physiological movement, which then influenced the literature of those who studied it, including its American literary founder, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Transcendentalism took place at the end of the Romanticism era and the beginning of the Realism time period, but it had its own distinct characteristics.

Eastern expressions of Transcendentalism differ from Western expressions in the belief of reincarnation, reality, and individualism. Eastern believing reincarnation and Western not. Eastern believing more on that the consciousness creates reality while Western tends to leans on being just is. Individualism or each person is a god, remains emphasized in the West but collectivism or all people is god being emphasized in the East. Both expressions of Transcendentalism hold that we are all one and that all reality is one spiritual

Transcendentalism was an intellectual/spiritual movement supporting intellectual independence and intuition by observing nature, largely dominant in Boston. Transcendentalists wrote many papers, and essays and further developed the philosophy as the true power of the free conscious and that self-reliant or independent men were inherently good by nature, and that organized/political parties were causing corruption and sin within the US. They also believed humans could obtain original insights from observing nature, with little influence from past writings. Transcendental signified the growing desire for independent thought and individualism within America, which would further develop and seep through to politics forming a more democratic

Transcendentalism dates all the way back to the 1863, this social movement developed in New england. Transcendentist came after the Puritans, they did not believe the same things the Puritans believed and wanted to stand out and change, this was a religious renewal. Transcendentalism has five main beliefs, people, nature and god all connect, individualism and self reliance,intuition can lead to knowledge, believed people inherently good, celebrate emotions and imagination. A lady Dorothy Ainsworth, is a pure example of the belief of self reliance in transcendentalism. Self reliance is when you depend on yourself and don't rely on other people to get things done for you. Dorothy had been independent, and striving for her goals independently her whole life.

Transcendentalist and Satirists are the complete opposite. They don’t necessarily get along too well. They should change things

Imagine a world where everyone decides to conform to the same ideals, speak only what others want to hear, and only act as what others want them to act. With the absence of transcendentalist beliefs, the world would only seem to be black and white. Transcendentalism is the belief that people are uniquely made to trust themselves and to not conform to other’s opinions. This philosophy focuses on the importance of nature, self-confidence, self-reliance, nonconformity, and freethought. Even though some transcendentalist ideals may lead to more conflict, this helps society because non-conformity encourages the rise of innovators and thinkers, self-reliance encourages people to become independent, and confidence leads to success.

A city and a forest can be completely different, yet they can be of the closest of similarities. However, transcendentalists believed that the forest is our home and the city is a shamed copy. Transcendentalism started with Ralph Waldo Emerson. It mainly focused primarily upon being different from everyone else and also about how nature is the primary source of life. Being out of the ordinary and looking to nature almost as a "godmother" are some of the main points of transcendentalism. The transcendentalists believed that we should not judge ourselves based upon the ideas of others. Instead, they believed that we should view ourselves primarily through ourselves. They also believed that nature provides life for us, while song artists today

The concept humor refers to the state of funniness and for people to be humorous they should find a particular action or state of affairs funny. Social life, gender, age, race, educational level, political attitudes, and mood of an individual influence humor. This terminology can be subjective as well as objective. In this respect, the definition of what constitutes humor is unlimited (Clark 20-23). According to Aristotle, humor is handy in political moderation, for it makes one’s character moderate. Humor can remind us of what is important in life, it makes one laugh at what looks funnily odd. In this respect, the laughter is mocking. Furthermore, one gets to learn about what invokes emotions and amusement. In life, anything that brings joy to the heart counts a lot to human survival. “In Goscinny's scenario, the Gauls learn about Caesar's praise when they notice that the Romans in the camps near their village are happy and light-hearted because they are grateful to return alive from their campaigns against the Belgae” (Vines 1228-1229)

Transcendentalism is a strong believe that the thinker believes in a higher reality and truth than what the normal sense of human knowledge or experience can explain, emphasizing human nature, truth, simplicity, comfort and the importance of comfort, emphasizing human intuition, people only by virtue of spiritual intuition to achieve the best living conditions. The Transcendentalists place an emphasis on imagination, insight, and inspiration. Transcendentalists emphasize the freedom of humanity, and they place highest value on the soul.

Our society has long been plagued by racism, but in a Transcendental society, racism wouldn’t exist, as they believe we all contain God within us, and therefore are equal and divine beings, worthy of each other’s respect. In line with our divinity, they believe we are divine and unique in thought. The importance of which was stated in 1841, by the founding member of the Transcendentalist movement, Ralph Waldo Emerson when he wrote, “Envy is ignorance; imitation is suicide,” (Emerson, ) in his essay Self Reliance. His friend and follower Thoreau added in chapter 18 of his book Walden that each man should, “step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away” (Thoreau, 915). Who are we to judge God, and by extension, each other? If this belief was accepted and practiced, we would find ourselves far less inclined to hate and fear one another due to different skin color, or opinions, and would instead discover ourselves far happier and with freer thought.

If one were to follow the transcendentalist philosophy expressed in the following literatures: Nature, Self Reliance, Walden, and Resistance to Civil Government, then one would have an outcome exuberating positive liveliness. Nonconformity for example is a crucial idea followed by transcendentalists, considering it separates one from other ideas. Furthermore, if one were to conform to other ideas, then one wouldn't be a leader, ”but a follower” (Thoreau 843). To be more specific, an individual under the transcendental view should not receive any influence from society, seeing that “Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members” ( Emerson 535). Meaning, society is against one by enforcing certain views on an individual, resulting in one being further away from the truth one finds through transcendentalism. Having said that, by having one conform to only one’s own ideas, one starts to value “the integrity of our own mind” (Emerson 535). This then contributing to an individual developing a better life, since one can finally live on one's own basis, having the mindset of “What I must do, is all that concerns me, not what the people think” ( Emerson 536).