Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay Example for Free

Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay Transcendentalism is the power to be an individual. Thoreau once said â€Å"Most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind. † In this he meant that the individual didn’t need superfluities in order to happy or be one’s true self. In today’s society, this philosophy is not evident. When looking to the world around him, the individual constantly has things thrust at him telling him what he has to believe in to be liked, and what he has to look like to be accepted, and what he â€Å"needs† to be â€Å"happy†. What the individual truly needs is the ability to be an individual, the ability to be transcendental. Transcendentalism should be applied to aspects of everyday life. The ability to be independent is a driving force in the world. Self-empowerment of the individual is critical in today’s society. â€Å"Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. † (Emerson). Society conspires to make one like the masses and takes away one’s ability to be independent. An individual should not give into things like media to tell them how to live and live life on his own terms. One’s belief in self allows the empowerment of the individual. â€Å"Speak what you think in hard words and tomorrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict everything you day today. † (Emerson). If one thinks something he should believe in it even if he believes in something different tomorrow. When one is an individual, he does not have to explain himself to society. The individual must be independent in order to be transcendental. â€Å"Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist. † (Emerson). Society tells individuals who to be, but in order to be individuals they must not give in to societal pressures. They must be unique and have their quirks. Humanity must become a society of individuals to progress forward toward a brighter future. Society inhibits man’s ability to be independent. Society puts man at the mercy of other men. â€Å"Society is a joint-stock company in which every one if its members agree for the better of securing of his bread to each shareholder to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater. † (Emerson) One should not allow others to let his fate be at the mercy of others. If one does so, he loses his individual freedom. Society should solely be a mechanism for man. â€Å"But lo! Men have become tools of their tools! † (Thoreau). Society has transformed from being a mere apparatus of the individual to something that the individual â€Å"needs†. One need not be rich in order to be happy. â€Å"Superfluous wealth can but superfluities only. Money is not required to buy one necessary of the soul†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Thoreau). The individual is told by society that in order to be happy one must have these luxuries, but truly all one needs is simplicity. Individuals must not cave into society and instead create their own standards to live by. Transcendentalism should be utilized in all aspects of life. Humanity should follow the path of its own creation. â€Å"†¦ if one advances confidently on the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. † (Thoreau). If the individual follows his own path, he will be successful and be able to find success even when surrounded by a sea of gray. Opportunity opposes no one. â€Å"The setting sun is reflected from the windows of the almshouse as brightly as from the rich man’s adobe; the snow melts before its door as early in the spring. † (Thoreau). The opportunities of the world come equal for all despite superfluities or situation, so the individual should accept his life and progress from there. Man should look inward for his peace of mind. â€Å"Yet it is certain that the power to produce this delight does not reside in nature, but in man, or in a harmony of both. † (Emerson). To happy one cannot solely depend on the world around him. The individual must also depend on himself. Equilibrium between nature and man must be found to transform our way of life and look towards a brighter future. If society were to remain as it is now, the future for humanity looks grave. Unless humanity does something to alter its future, society will end up similar to the one in Fahrenheit 451. Humanity will ultimately become a society of ignorance and dependence. To combat this, man must take these transcendentalist theories and apply its aspects to everyday life. If every man and woman did this and pasted it on to their children, society could be transformed into something magnificent and beneficial for both the current generation and the generations to come.