We started reading transcendental pieces of literature this week, and these pieces have really created an impact on me. Although I already knew that everyone should be themselves, transcendental literature stresses it even more, and it actually made me feel more determined to follow my own beliefs and not anyone else's. Sticking to your own ideas and feelings gives life a purpose. Without this, you are not being your true self and you end up living a life without value.
Some pieces we read that really enhanced my views on individualism were "Self-Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Anna Quindlen's Commencement Address. Both were filled with many aphorisms that got me thinking. One of my favorite statements in "Self-Reliance" was, "the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude." I really like this quote because Emerson is saying that it is easy to give in to others' opinions, but what makes a person truly great and purposeful is when he has the ability to stick to his own values when surrounded by the strong influence of the world. In today's society, it is so easy to wear certain clothes, do certain activities, or say certain things just to fit in with everyone else. If you're doing these things just to make everyone else happy, then you probably aren't truly happy with yourself, and what is the good in that? In Anna Quindlen's speech, she says, "if your success is not on your own terms, if it looks good to the world but does not feel good in your heart, it is not success at all." She is stressing the importance of achieving your own personal goals, instead of just trying to achieve the goals that seem right in society. What really gives life a purpose is doing things that are important to you, because when you do what feels right in your heart, then you will do it with so much more passion and confidence.
Some pieces we read that really enhanced my views on individualism were "Self-Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Anna Quindlen's Commencement Address. Both were filled with many aphorisms that got me thinking. One of my favorite statements in "Self-Reliance" was, "the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude." I really like this quote because Emerson is saying that it is easy to give in to others' opinions, but what makes a person truly great and purposeful is when he has the ability to stick to his own values when surrounded by the strong influence of the world. In today's society, it is so easy to wear certain clothes, do certain activities, or say certain things just to fit in with everyone else. If you're doing these things just to make everyone else happy, then you probably aren't truly happy with yourself, and what is the good in that? In Anna Quindlen's speech, she says, "if your success is not on your own terms, if it looks good to the world but does not feel good in your heart, it is not success at all." She is stressing the importance of achieving your own personal goals, instead of just trying to achieve the goals that seem right in society. What really gives life a purpose is doing things that are important to you, because when you do what feels right in your heart, then you will do it with so much more passion and confidence.
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