Transcending Life by Adapting the Concepts of Franklin, Emerson, and Thoreau

Everyone one of us struggles daily to survive in a manner befitting our individual beliefs, hopes, aspirations, dreams, and goals. There is not a universal code on how exactly we should go about doing this. Benjamin Franklin, Henry Thoreau, and Waldo Emerson were some of the most unique thinkers influencing the way of thinking in America. Their concepts where simplistic in nature, with underlying themes based on Transcendentalism. Transcendentalism is defined as an individual "transcending" their senses and gaining a better understanding of beauty, good, and truth through activities such as work, art, and being at one with nature. A course in "life" should enable an individual to maintain individuality while at the same time contributing to the good of the whole. Applying many concepts on life adapted by Franklin, Thoreau, and Emerson will allow an individual to reach their potential to live the best life they possibly can.

"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of" (Franklin). Benjamin Franklin had many simple concepts that he lived b

Like Franklin, Emerson maintained that morals are a valuable commodity to live by. Emerson believed that right and wrong, and moral truths are made clear to us through everything around us. "The moral law lies at the center of nature and radiates to the circumference. It is the pith and marrow of every substance, every relation, and every process" (Emerson). Each individual is influenced in different ways by the moral influence of nature. There is no formula to measure the amount of influence that an individual receives from nature, but we should all allow ourselves to accept what nature has to teach us. We should not get so wrapped up in our everyday lives that we are blind to what messages are made clear in all things around us. In essence, we should be a "receiver," always available to decode messages interpreted through our spirituality. In order to do this; we must eliminate the "noise" of our everyday lives so that in turn we will receive a clear signal of what is truly important from nature.

Thoreau lived his entire life as a non-conformist. He did not live in conjunction with popular principles existent in society. Thoreau lived his life rather simply, never borrowing to obtain more, but working hard to obtain what he needed. Thoreau believed that society would benefit from adhering to these principles. Parallel to his views on modern society, is Thoreau's non-conformist view of how government should be. "That government is best which governs least" (Thoreau). Thoreau believed that government should not interfere with the daily lives of individuals unless necessity requires. Thoreau most likely believed this way due to his extreme appreciation for "individuals" and the importance of searching for "self." Our society today could benefit greatly by individuals taking more action to improve themselves and society, without relying so heavily on the government to do so. Realizing of course, that circumstances are different for every individual, we should all make an effort to strive hard to meet individual goals despite what obstacles we face. Government should not be viewed as a crutch, but rather a springboard, helping individuals and society reach maximum potential.

"Between man and vegetable. I am not alone and not unacknowledged" (Emerson). Emerson believed that we are all connected universally, man vs. man, and man vs. nature. We as humans need to respect the intricate inter-workings of nature, and how this process allows us to survive on this planet. "More servants wait on man than he'll take notice of" (Emerson). Our daily tasks occupy us emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically to the point where we take for granted everything around us. We need to separate ourselves from the daily distractions that plague our life, and become "in tune" with nature. Only through this process can we see more clearly the universal truths eviden

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Approximate Word count = 1952
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)