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1A: Quote - "Where I lived and What I Lived For"

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1A: Quote - "Where I lived and What I Lived For"

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"Our life is frittered away by detail. An honest man has hardly need to count more than his ten fingers, or in extreme cases he may add his ten toes, and lump the rest. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail." -Henry Thoreau
This example, by Thoreau, connects with transcendentalism because it shows the tenet of returning to nature and simplicity in that the quote urges people to make their busy lives much more simpler, which can be done by reducing the amount of affairs one has in life.

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"Nowadays almost all man's improvements, so called, as the building of houses and the cutting down of the forest and of all large trees, simply deform the landscape, and make it more and more tame and cheap." -Henry Thoreau
Thoreau argues that nature is being destroyed with the construction of landscapes in order to create "improvements". Here, a call back to nature and simplicity is seen due to the criticism of new, modern day projects that displace nature.

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"Nature never became a toy to a wise spirit." -Ralph Emerson
Nature should not be something that should be played with or regarded as unimportant, nature is something that should not be taken for granted and instead should be glorified for the value it places in one's individual life.

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"Even the corpse has its own beauty" -Ralph Emerson
In relation to transcendentalism, Emerson rejects the traditional establishment by claiming that something that is usually not associated with beauty, a corpse, can in fact contain it as long as the person viewing it finds such beauty within it, not just judging off the appearance.

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"It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude." -Ralph Emerson
A person should be able to live out their true individuality by forming one's own opinion instead of conforming to society.

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In the poem, Whitman first questions his own life and the reason for living because of the negative aspects that are present in life, such as "foolish people" and "sordid crowds". As he continues on in the poem, the reaction I get is that he is proclaiming that one having life should be enough to exist and with life people can contribute something meaningful and goodhearted to society. Whitman asks the question of what his audiences' verse will be which is equal to asking of what they will contribute to life in order to make society as a whole better. A sense of hope is portrayed at the end, by Whitman, because he claims that life will always exist and one could make it better by putting into society and life a well-intended contribution that helps as a whole.

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Carpe Diem means to seize the day which relates to transcendentalism because it allows for a person's individuality to be front and center due to one being able to truly do what they want and allow their inner self to use the day according to one's true intentions.

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My contribution, or verse, in this song of life, will be to help reform our broken criminal justice system. I will contribute to our world by becoming a lawyer and focusing on a broken criminal justice system that primarily targets the poor and people of color. I tend to accomplish this by passing the bar exam and then working with others who share a similar goal to truly reform a broken criminal justice system so it could treat everyone fairly, disregarding their color and/or wealth. This will contribute a sense of equality and fairness to human kind because I intend to help establish a system that treats all people the same and by doing this I could add a contribution to our world that improves human kind and equality between people.

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Hands cramped around the rectangle of glass

Phones in sight, watering eyes

Steps taken unseeing, walking blindly

Double-tapping on posts, liking and swiping

On those who seek the most

Anxiety building up in the consciousness of the mind

Seeking love in Tinder right swipes

Hoping for likes and comments on the Gram

Hating themselves, isolated alone

Avoiding the verdant world outside

Phone silenced in my pocket,

Eyes focused on the landscape out the window,

I can feel the breeze on my face, feel the goosebumps rising on my skin

I take a step outside, squinting to the brightness of the sunshine

Letting myself feel its warmth

The sun and breeze are a balm to my soul

Unburdened by social media and the ring of notifications,

I let my mind wander and roam

Without hesitation, loneliness, or self-loathing

I am free.

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Lady Gaga's song "Born This Way" reflects transcendentalism in that it shows a great pride in individuality by proclaiming that people should embrace the way they were born, placing their true individual self front and center.

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My self being able to be wild and free in my enjoyment of nature shows the tenet of individuality and a return to nature because I am living my true life while embracing nature.

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Going to the snow allowed myself to connect with nature by observing a new climate that is rarely seen in sunny San Diego.

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After hiking Cowles mountain, I was able to observe a beautiful sunset that let me embrace transcendentalism through the observance of nature at a high peak.

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While hiking, I was stunned with the beauty of the ocean and how nature can take away one's breath, allowing myself to have a new fond appreciation of my surroundings.

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8: Challenges to Living the Transcendental Life

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8: Challenges to Living the Transcendental Life

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Capitalism and the greed of companies who place profits over the environment is a major and devastating challenge to living out the transcendental tenets today. The example shown below portrays a large monster, in this case capitalism, that is hurting the earth because they are placing profit over preserving our environment, making it harder for people to live out transcendentalism in their life.

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Nature, and the tenets of transcendentalism, allow for people to be strong and independent minded through the way nature can bring out one's true inner self. The visual shown here connects to transcendentalism because the person is portrayed as letting her inner self thrive while being surrounded with nature.
Essay: https://docs.google.com/document/d/173oBlUIehyDHYUCw1-Iexoa8EuMZseE4PY7HLje750g/edit