TRANSCENDENTALISM “ It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person: always do what you are afraid to do.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

What? A fundamental belief in the unity of the world and God. The soul of each individual was thought to be a microcosm of the world itself. As such, each of us is divine. Became a literary movement in the early to mid 1800’s that established a clear “American voice.”

Core Beliefs: Believed in the inherent goodness of mankind Drew inspiration from nature Advocated self reliance Encouraged individual expression; advocated non-conformity Urged simplicity, both the appreciation of simple things and the virtue of living simply Valued non-materialism Sought solitude Acknowledged the importance of civil disobedience

Goal: To transcend this world To gain a higher awareness of self To seek knowledge of oneself and therefore of the world To seek truth

Innate Goodness of Mankind Humans and nature possess an innate goodness. They are divine. Every person has a portion of “oversoul” (universal spirit). (Transcendentalists opposed strict ritualism and dogma of established religion.)

“In the faces of men and women, I see God.” --Walt Whitman

Inspiration from Nature Nature is divine. Because we are one with nature, we can learn more about ourselves by observing nature. Nature helps us understand what life is really about.

“Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.”

Self Reliance Because each of us has a spark of the divine, we are really relying on God when we rely on ourselves. It is critical to know who we really are and what we are capable of.

“It is only as a man puts off all foreign support and stands alone that I see him to be strong and to prevail.” --Ralph W. Emerson

Individuality and Non-Conformity Freedom to express yourself The importance of following your instincts and intuition and acting in a way that is true to you.

“Whoso would be a man must be a non-conformist.” --Ralph W. Emerson

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.”

Appreciation of simple things Virtues of living simply Simplicity

“Simplicity! Simplicity! Simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand.” --Henry D. Thoreau

Non-Materialism What we have is not as important as who we are. “Things” and our obsession with them get in the way of finding real meaning and truth.

“Love your life, poor as it is.” --Henry D. Thoreau

Core Beliefs: Believed in the inherent goodness of mankind Drew inspiration from nature Advocated self reliance Encouraged individual expression; advocated non-conformity Urged simplicity, both the appreciation of simple things and the virtue of living simply Valued non-materialism Sought solitude

Solitude Time alone offers the opportunity to ponder the world around us and our place in it. Solitude insulates us from the opinions of others, giving us a chance to determine what we believe.

“Is not a man better than a town?”

Civil Disobedience Urges passive, non-violent resistance to governmental policies to which an individual is morally opposed. Influenced Gandhi and King.

“[If injustice] is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law. Let your life be the friction to stop the machine.”

Henry David Thoreau Lives at Walden Pond ( ) Writes Walden & Civil Disobedience Defines “the Wild” as the life force that connects us all (not wilderness)

“Keep your accounts on your thumbnail.”

“I went into the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life and see if I could not learn what it has to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”