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Question
You will write your personal life philosophy after reflecting on the writing of the American Transcendentalists. Many of them believed that the way to happiness consisted of living a “natural” life, being independent in one’s thoughts, working hard to get where you are going, and going into nature to find oneself. What do you think is most important in life and what steps do you need to take in order to achieve it?
Your essay must be a minimum of 3 pages(typed, doubled-spaced, MLA format). Include 2 quotes or references to Emerson, Thoreau, or another transcendentalist you find and read. You should include a works cited page in MLA format, which does not count towards your page requirement.
Consider these values or ideas:
Humor
Monetary success
Education
Intelligence
Close friendships
Careers
Passion/Hobbies
Job security
Achieved goals
Accomplishments
Love/Romance
Technology
Vacations
Nature
Independence
Sports
Spirituality/religion
Financial Security
Social and Communication skills
Creativity
Close family relationship
Safety
Entertainment
Answer
Life Philosophy Essay
Once a person is born into the world, they have to establish their purpose of living. An understanding of one’s reasons for living is important helps in the establishment of goals that will guide in the fulfillment of the objectives of living. The achievement of personal objectives helps one to be independent and live a happy life that is free from interference from other people. Having no goals in life is a recipe for failure. It conditions a person to be reliant on other people’s ideas and help. The transcendentalists stress the importance of being self-reliant and independent. When everyone is able to achieve their goals in life, a true form of a community is then established. Therefore, the most important thing in life is achieved goals as it helps in the fulfillment of life purposes thus forming a true community.
The natural world provides every person with an opportunity to forge their personal identity in the world. According to Emerson, the natural world has all the ingredients of good things that man can utilize to fulfil all their objectives (24). They only need to be attentive and reflective in their lives for them to understand the messages that are portrayed by the natural world. The steps of accomplishing one’s goals, therefore, begin by a process of self-reflection. It enables one to have an idea of the thing that they want to pursue in their lives free from interference by other humanly institutions. Ralph Waldo Emerson provides that the physical world is perfectly ordered due to the fact that it is natural (37). It is free from the interference of human ideas since it has not been misguided by their ideas. My personal life philosophy is dependent on my most trusted value, which is achieving my goals. Our physical world is natural and untamed. I will thus deduce rules that will guide me in the accomplishment of my goals from my experiences in the world. The natural world is not experienced spontaneously. Therefore, I will keep on modifying my rules so that they fit into the natural world.
Developing self-sufficiency in the current world requires one to have education. Education gives a person wisdom through which thy can engage in an efficient process of being attentive and reflective for them to understand the natural world. According to Thoreau, people need to get disconnected to the madness of the modern world through having an understanding of oneself as well as the society (42). By pursuing education, one gains the wisdom to dissect nature and deduce goals that would be helpful in their life. Therefore, I consider education as an important step in achieving my objectives in the world. Through pursuit of education, I will develop my wisdom, increase my knowledge of the natural world, and enhance my ability to develop strategies that will allow me to accomplish my goals. Education will make me independent minded. I will focus on developing my personal ideas and rules based on the experiences that I encounter in the natural world. The natural world is ordered and cannot be distorted by the human brains. Education will give me a chance to have an understanding of the order in the natural world.
Being successful in life requires that a person be free from distractions of the world that is created by human beings. The modern world is full of madness that has been created by the various ideas perpetuated by human beings. People have become overly reliant on the institutions. Therefore, establishing life’s purpose entails disconnecting from the institutions that have been created by humans and establishing personal strategies that help in developing rules that enhance the process of achieving the life goals. Based on Whitman’s philosophy, I will reserve much of my time observing the natural world and engaging in deep meditation (Setzer, 8). My dream is to develop an inspiring model that will help in establishing a true community that is connected through the success of every individual. My intention is to alienate myself from the humanly thoughts and focus on the true order that is created by the natural world to achieve my objectives. Whitman observes that the laws that every human being should live by are freely observable from the natural world. The beauty of nature provides a perfect template that one can follow to achieve their personal goals. My personal philosophy is thus guided by the need to be independent. Independency can only be achieved through accomplishment of life goals.
It is important for individuals to establish their purpose in life, develop strategies, and then fulfil their goals. Having a purpose in life helps one to be focused, and will thus not be distracted by the humanly ideas or the institutions that have been established in the world. I consider education an important part of fulfilment of my objectives because it will open my mind. It will enable me to make personal judgements on my experiences in the world.
References
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Self-reliance and other essays. Courier Corporation, 2012.
Setzer, Susan. “Whitman, Transcendentalism and the American Dream: Alliance with Nature’s Government through Language.” Modern Science and Vedic Science 9 (1999): 2-48.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden and civil disobedience. Dreamscape Media, LLC, 2016.
