Today, I learned that Emerson’s definition of friendship seems to agree significantly with my perception of friends. During the morning, I met with a number of friends that I have known since eighth grade. Later in the day, I had dinner with the family of one of my best friends. I found that at both times, I was able to shed my “undermost garments.” While having dinner with my friend’s family, I felt comfortable with sharing all of my opinions on everything, including school, and my ideas for improving everything that we do together. I told him about activities I do that I had never told him about before. It was harder to be this open during the morning, as the large number of people made it impossible for me to be entirely open.
When with my friends, I could passively embody the Emersonian idea of friendship. Over the course of four years, I have been able to nurture the relationships with these friends every Saturday, in accordance with Emerson’s idea of effort necessary to maintain a friendship. After knowing them for about a year or two, I met with them more frequently in order to have fun and be more acquainted with them. Unfortunately, I have also seen the truth to this theory in the deterioration of some of the friendships that I have not carefully maintained. At the end of eighth grade, I met a family from this group who immediately became one of my first best friends from this group that I meet with every Saturday. We maintained a close friendship for at least a year and I was very honest with him. Unfortunately, however, inconvenience among other factors made it impossible for me to see him frequently, resulting in slight deterioration of our friendship. Although we are still good acquaintances, he is not an “Emersonian” friend as I am not as open with him as I used to be.
I disagree with Emerson when he claims that it is impossible to have a large number of real friends who are not “frost work.” After four years, I have developed a strong relationship and mutual trust with my friends. Although I have not been able to completely maintain all of the relationships I have, at least five of the people in this group are my “Emersonian” friends, which is greater than the number that Emerson suggests in his essay. I would definitely say, however, that I have numerous “frost work” relationships, especially from a camp that I attended this summer. Although I was extremely friendly and honest with most of the people at this camp, I have not been able to maintain these relationships due to distance.
In order to really be an “Emersonian” friend, one should not specifically try on one day to be inconsistent with one’s normal self. As long as one puts effort in maintaining one’s friendship, one will passively be able to enjoy a friend’s company.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
My Nature Experiment
At 7:30, I decided I needed a break after a tough day. I went outside into my backyard. I did not set any very specific parameters so that I could see nature without seeing through a smoke screen. I did not bring a watch or any other modern devises to add undesired structure to my experience.
As I walked outside, I learned that Emerson is absolutely correct when he says that beauty can always be found in nature. As I walked outside, my eyes adjusted to the darkness as if a dim light had been turned on in a room. I examined the surrounding bushes with their long, dark branches and a nearby swing-set from my childhood. As I examined my surroundings, I learned, in accordance with Emerson, that it is necessary to scrutinize one’s surroundings and change one’s perception to experience the full beauty of nature. After lying down on the ground and expunging more of my worldly thoughts, I started hearing nature. At first, I could only hear the drone of occasional planes in the distance. After a small amount of time, however, I was able to hear crickets and other small animals and learn, in accordance with Emerson, that I was sharing nature with other beings. I even heard the rushing of water in the distance from a source I could not possibly discern. Although I could not see the stars above me, my vision of the palm tree above me continued to get crisper with passing time. As I was able to isolate myself more and more from society and my thoughts as I lied down, my senses detected nature at far away distances and dimmed the manmade objects in my vicinity, including my swing-set from childhood.
I agree with Emerson’s notion that nature is seen through the plastic perception of one’s eye. This principle, however, can be generalized through other senses. The feeling of the grass below me and the crisp silence contributed most to my perception of nature’s beauty in the darkness of my own backyard.
As I walked outside, I learned that Emerson is absolutely correct when he says that beauty can always be found in nature. As I walked outside, my eyes adjusted to the darkness as if a dim light had been turned on in a room. I examined the surrounding bushes with their long, dark branches and a nearby swing-set from my childhood. As I examined my surroundings, I learned, in accordance with Emerson, that it is necessary to scrutinize one’s surroundings and change one’s perception to experience the full beauty of nature. After lying down on the ground and expunging more of my worldly thoughts, I started hearing nature. At first, I could only hear the drone of occasional planes in the distance. After a small amount of time, however, I was able to hear crickets and other small animals and learn, in accordance with Emerson, that I was sharing nature with other beings. I even heard the rushing of water in the distance from a source I could not possibly discern. Although I could not see the stars above me, my vision of the palm tree above me continued to get crisper with passing time. As I was able to isolate myself more and more from society and my thoughts as I lied down, my senses detected nature at far away distances and dimmed the manmade objects in my vicinity, including my swing-set from childhood.
I agree with Emerson’s notion that nature is seen through the plastic perception of one’s eye. This principle, however, can be generalized through other senses. The feeling of the grass below me and the crisp silence contributed most to my perception of nature’s beauty in the darkness of my own backyard.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Emerson’s Opinions on Gifts
According to Emerson, gifts should not be given to cater to the needs of the recipient. Gifts should come from a person’s heart and pertain to the giver’s profession or relationship with the recipient. Emerson states that gifts which only satisfy one’s needs are too easy for someone to give. Also, the giver should not overindulge in the satisfaction that sometimes comes from giving. If a giver is too satisfied with the feeling of giving, the giver is not actually giving but receiving.
A recipient, according to Emerson, should never show hatred for the gifts that he or she receives. However, a recipient should not be overly pleased with the gift that is received, as that would convey that the relationship can be represented by something material. Also, recipients should not try to “flatter their benefactors” after receiving a gift.
Emerson, through talking about the acceptance and giving of gifts, comments on the desire of Americans to want everything in sight when he discusses the negative feeling that Americans have about the lack of receiving gifts. Also, Emerson mentions the desire of Americans to be self sustained and individualist.
Emerson is critiquing the materialistic tendencies of relationships in the United States at the time. Emerson displays disapproval for the common idea that Americans accuse society of not giving gifts to others as if it were a crime. Not all of Emerson’s commentary, however, is necessarily negative. Emerson does not necessarily put down American society when he says that “The hand that feeds us is in danger of being bitten,” meaning that Americans, in Emerson’s mind, are self-sustaining and individualist, two values that are constantly praised by transcendentalists like Emerson.
I cannot think of an Emersonian gift that I have given or received off hand. At the current moment, I think that the best gift I could give someone is one of the two board games that I have designed in the past two years. Even if the recipient does not enjoy board games, these board games are a product of my interests and therefore could be considered Emersonian gifts. When played, the players can see (with enough experience) the characteristics they share with other board games and with the books I have read. Although this gift does have the potential to be an "easy" gift, as in many cases it may satisfy one's desires, many recipients probably would not have wanted a game of any kind above other possible gifts.
One problem with this gift, however, is that it is hard to not expect something in return. I might expect the recipient to try the game or to react to its concept. From their comments, I might receive more help or important information than I gave the recipient in the game. I think that this principle might apply to all gifts. It is hard, if not impossible, to follow all of Emerson's principles when giving someone a gift.
A recipient, according to Emerson, should never show hatred for the gifts that he or she receives. However, a recipient should not be overly pleased with the gift that is received, as that would convey that the relationship can be represented by something material. Also, recipients should not try to “flatter their benefactors” after receiving a gift.
Emerson, through talking about the acceptance and giving of gifts, comments on the desire of Americans to want everything in sight when he discusses the negative feeling that Americans have about the lack of receiving gifts. Also, Emerson mentions the desire of Americans to be self sustained and individualist.
Emerson is critiquing the materialistic tendencies of relationships in the United States at the time. Emerson displays disapproval for the common idea that Americans accuse society of not giving gifts to others as if it were a crime. Not all of Emerson’s commentary, however, is necessarily negative. Emerson does not necessarily put down American society when he says that “The hand that feeds us is in danger of being bitten,” meaning that Americans, in Emerson’s mind, are self-sustaining and individualist, two values that are constantly praised by transcendentalists like Emerson.
I cannot think of an Emersonian gift that I have given or received off hand. At the current moment, I think that the best gift I could give someone is one of the two board games that I have designed in the past two years. Even if the recipient does not enjoy board games, these board games are a product of my interests and therefore could be considered Emersonian gifts. When played, the players can see (with enough experience) the characteristics they share with other board games and with the books I have read. Although this gift does have the potential to be an "easy" gift, as in many cases it may satisfy one's desires, many recipients probably would not have wanted a game of any kind above other possible gifts.
One problem with this gift, however, is that it is hard to not expect something in return. I might expect the recipient to try the game or to react to its concept. From their comments, I might receive more help or important information than I gave the recipient in the game. I think that this principle might apply to all gifts. It is hard, if not impossible, to follow all of Emerson's principles when giving someone a gift.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Self Reliance
I personally believe that Emerson is not considering the whole picture when he says "The centuries are conspirators against the sanity of the soul." In other words, "Emerson is claiming that history should be considered the enemy of the idealistic self-relying person. One must always consider failures and successes of the past in order to make informed decisions about the future.
As we suffer from an enormous economic depression, we must realize that it could have been either avoided of decreased in magnitude by preventing the wildly high amounts of speculation and the unregulated amount of credit. We, as a nation, should have realized that these factors have caused almost every economic depression in American history in both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, especially in 1929. However, learning from history is not just beneficial in economics. After World War I, France, Europe, and the US failed to consider the benefits of bargaining for a conciliatory peace with Germany, in disagreement with the diplomatic approach that the victorious countries in the Napoleonic Wars had taken towards defeated France. Due to the victorious powers' ignorance, an angered Germany was guided towards hostility in the form of another world war. The ignorance in history has led to social disasters, including numerous genocides in Darfur, Cambodia, Uganda, Rwanda, and Bosnia since the Holocaust. From the perspective of a national leader, history has consistently proven to be a helpful advisor, not a conspirator, that has been ignored too often. The "soul" of a country can only be helped by remembering past centuries.
On a personal level, Emerson's point still has many flaws. A person should not forget the bad relationships that they have had with someone. After failing in an endeavor, including an attempt to get a job, one should not forget about the event, as they probably will not succeed in attaining employment if they try again with the exact same application and resume as before. A potential employee should first think about the parts of his or her application that he or she can improve from the past and only then submit it to another company. A person should not only learn from his or her own history, but should also learn from the perspective of other people. Without considering the perspective of interest groups, socioeconomic classes, or historical figures who do not agree with a person, that person cannot formulate a well informed decision that will support his or her goals. Therefore, ignorance in past centuries on a personal level can lead to disastrous personal consequences.
There are times, however, when Emerson is correct to imply that the ideal representative of transcendentalism should not dwell on the past. Focusing on one's failures can lead to a leak of confidence in oneself, which leads to a lack determination and can ruin one's prospects in life. On the contrary, it is also inadvisable to think solely about successes in one's past. One should apply the happiness that they receive from a victory to success in another endeavor. Time that is used to dwell on either successes or failures can lead to distraction from "authority of the soul." In this sense, Emerson is justified in stating that a person's past can damage one's work ethic and therefore one's self-efficiency and self-reliance.
Although Emerson does have some validity with his statement, I disagree with the notion that history or one's past can be an enemy to personal development.
As we suffer from an enormous economic depression, we must realize that it could have been either avoided of decreased in magnitude by preventing the wildly high amounts of speculation and the unregulated amount of credit. We, as a nation, should have realized that these factors have caused almost every economic depression in American history in both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, especially in 1929. However, learning from history is not just beneficial in economics. After World War I, France, Europe, and the US failed to consider the benefits of bargaining for a conciliatory peace with Germany, in disagreement with the diplomatic approach that the victorious countries in the Napoleonic Wars had taken towards defeated France. Due to the victorious powers' ignorance, an angered Germany was guided towards hostility in the form of another world war. The ignorance in history has led to social disasters, including numerous genocides in Darfur, Cambodia, Uganda, Rwanda, and Bosnia since the Holocaust. From the perspective of a national leader, history has consistently proven to be a helpful advisor, not a conspirator, that has been ignored too often. The "soul" of a country can only be helped by remembering past centuries.
On a personal level, Emerson's point still has many flaws. A person should not forget the bad relationships that they have had with someone. After failing in an endeavor, including an attempt to get a job, one should not forget about the event, as they probably will not succeed in attaining employment if they try again with the exact same application and resume as before. A potential employee should first think about the parts of his or her application that he or she can improve from the past and only then submit it to another company. A person should not only learn from his or her own history, but should also learn from the perspective of other people. Without considering the perspective of interest groups, socioeconomic classes, or historical figures who do not agree with a person, that person cannot formulate a well informed decision that will support his or her goals. Therefore, ignorance in past centuries on a personal level can lead to disastrous personal consequences.
There are times, however, when Emerson is correct to imply that the ideal representative of transcendentalism should not dwell on the past. Focusing on one's failures can lead to a leak of confidence in oneself, which leads to a lack determination and can ruin one's prospects in life. On the contrary, it is also inadvisable to think solely about successes in one's past. One should apply the happiness that they receive from a victory to success in another endeavor. Time that is used to dwell on either successes or failures can lead to distraction from "authority of the soul." In this sense, Emerson is justified in stating that a person's past can damage one's work ethic and therefore one's self-efficiency and self-reliance.
Although Emerson does have some validity with his statement, I disagree with the notion that history or one's past can be an enemy to personal development.
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