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Emerson opened my eyes to the many, many ways one can conform. He considered things to be conformity, which I would have never considered. For example, I thought travel would make someone more unique, worldly, and scholarly; however, Emerson had the opposite view and I could see where he was coming from with his opinions.

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I think Emerson is hypocritical. He calls people to embrace their individuality and discover themselves, however through the act of doing this he has already influenced them. He stresses non-comformity, yet urges us to embrace the world as he does. I think that true transcendentalism must be self-discovered otherwise it is the same as being a parrot of another's thinking. After all, imitation is suicide.

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The idea that "imitation is suicide" highlights just how negative the consequences of conformity really are and how important individuality is.

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I think that Emerson's idea of nature being taken for granted is true. I don't believe a lot of what he says about nature, but what he says about it being a force around us and helping us develop our thoughts and ideas is something that I agree with.

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Which isn't to ignore the things Emerson said which obviously were quite a lot more brilliant than anything I said or that very short Rumi quote although Emerson is very much about original thought and not imitating that thought of others of course so perhaps I shouldn't make a point of his brilliant over my own this is probably why Sarah thought he was hypocritical although appreciation is not the same as imitation

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Self-reliance, a concept I often struggle to obtain, struck me in Emerson's work. I must learn to rely on myself, my own thoughts, feelings, intuitions, rather than the pressures from society and peer groups. I must go out into the world and experience things for myself, learning and growing from my eye opening adventures.

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One idea that i took away would be that one should have to work hard to be successful and find satisfaction with the result. Adding onto that, I also took away that one should take action and stand up for what you believe. By being strong in your beliefs, you won't conform to to society's way of life or beliefs.

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Just kidding. I am in fact going to post the non-Emerson quote--
"Stop acting so small. You are the Universe in ecstatic motion." Rumi
Each individual cannot find significance in impacting the entire universe (or even changing the motion of the "wave" which is society) but rather is in important in what stars and planets and light they can create and destroy within themselves and what they can conceive from what they perceive not of other's minds but of nature by their own

Which are three separate ideas, but are connected in my head

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Nature is the vehicle of the development of man

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"To speak truly, fee adult persons can see nature. Most persons do not see the sun. At least they have a very superficial seeing. The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child."

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"While the abstract question occupies your intellect, nature brings it in the concrete to be solved by your hands"

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We are all doctors and engineers and artists and teachers and dancers and musicians. We can't specialize ourselves bc then we lose those important parts of who we are. Also I really really like sometimes beauty is in the smallest aspects of nature and life.

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I liked the idea that every single thing in nature is beautiful,

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Emerson

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greatness is achieved by non conformity and trust in your own ideas. shakespeare and other greats could not have become who and what they are if they only ever copied others.

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bYOUtiful

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Greatness cannot be learned. Shakespeare had no teacher.

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The importance of nonconformity and being yourself

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The importance of nonconformity and being yourself

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Society pressures people to conform to be a particular "person" and after reading Emerson I want to steer away from this idea and be more of an individual

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His idea of intuition over logic has a great deal of truth

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Emerson believes that it is okay to believe something wrong as long as it is what you truly believe. This can somehow help our society improve and encourage others to find the truth. I understand this, but if this results in everyone believing they know the trith, will there actually be any truth?

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🍩conform

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This struck me because of its relevance today, especially regarding current political events and societal actions.  While viewing that as written in the present would be practically commonplace, the thought that such wisdom was encountered in 1837 is truly inspiring.

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I think Emerson is hypocritical. He calls people to embrace their individuality and discover themselves, however

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Man should strive to be "a transparent eyeball." One should set aside their egotism and sit back and observe.

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This year I was struck by the following quote: 

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This year I was struck by the following quote: 

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“A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam and light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament or bards and sages. Yet he dismisses without notice his thought, because it it his.”

How often do we fail to trust our own thoughts and ideas simply because they are ours?