Transcendentalist

Are You a Transcendentalist?

                 There are many complexities that go along with the idea of transcendentalism, and knowing whether you are a transcendentalist or not can be quite challenging. Because of this, I am not sure if I am a transcendentalist or not. I believe in some aspects of transcendentalist thought, but I also have different opinions as well.

                In Emerson’s text, “Self-Reliance”, I found many ideas that I agree with. The one that stands out to me the most is, “Trust thyself.” He says that we can only be dependent upon our own selves, and no one else. I have always believed that because you can’t betray yourself, but other can easily betray you, and that leaves you with one solution of trusting yourself.  Another idea that I strongly agreed with in Emerson’s text was his thought that we have to be our own person; we can’t pretend to be someone else. I felt this stood out when he said, “If we live truly, we shall see truly.”

                Although I find myself confused on whether I am a transcendentalist because there are some parts that I don’t necessarily agree with. The one that stands out to me the most is trying to find the inner-God that lives inside of every single one of us. I can understand how God and the divine were important during this time period, but it isn’t as much today, and that’s where I struggle. I’ve never had connection with trying to find this inner divine, and so I don’t know if I agree that we need to find it. Maybe this isn’t as complex as I am making it, but this part of transcendentalism makes me wonder if I am truly a transcendentalist and that’s why I remain unsure.