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Ever since the 1830s, transcendentalism has been a big hit. Philosophers began to engage themselves more in nature and started working on communal living. One of the biggest transcendentalists of 1850 is Henry David Thoreau. After his trip to Walden Pond, Massachusetts, he started to expand on this idea of transcendentalism, and it became a big hit. He isolated himself for two years, away from society, and started writing books and poems about what he reflected on during his time alone in the woods. Thoreau's work impacted many lives and changed the way people saw society. Transcendentalism wouldn’t be the same without him. Henry David Thoreau is the most influential contemporary writer by being able to gain perspective on society and civilization to illuminate how civilization works, and by influencing other perspectives of the world.
Transcendentalism burgeoned shortly after Thoreau returned to his home and society after living at Walden Pond for the previous two years. His initial goal of living there was to live simply and deliberately with meaning and purpose to the world. He “wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life…” (Thoreau 376). Thoreau realized that he wanted to achieve more goals and change the continuous routine he did every day by living in the moment. He wanted to change himself and others for the better to create a more peaceful and optimistic lifestyle.
By living in the woods, he was able to gain perspective on the world and was able to conclude that he needed other people to surround him. Although he appreciated nature the most during his time at Walden Pond, Henry had no one to share his thoughts and feelings with. He realized that everyone is different and it’s one of the best things about society. Being connected to society made him feel as if he was able to not waste a single moment in life by sharing those moments with others. And being connected while still being different was one of the things that he cherished. Another thing that he cherished about the world is how symplectic it could be if people let it.
Next, Thoreau was all about simplicity. In the world, in himself, and others. He believed that the simple way was the best way for anything. He figured that “instead of three meals a day, if it is necessary to eat but one; instead of a hundred dishes, five; and reduce other things in proportion” (Thoreau 377). There's no point in gaining different things that people want in society and wasting time on them when there’s a shorter and more simple option. Thoreau would want society to strive to live as simply as they can and to go with what is necessary or needed as opposed to what is wanted in life. First, people should try to achieve what they need and is necessary, then go for what they want in addition. It’s alright to want things in life, but do the necessary work to achieve the wants after the needs.
Given these facts, Henry David Thoreau has impacted a plethora of people in today's society and even back in the 1800s. Throughout his life, he learns that a person should examine themselves once so often and examine their place in the world. He also learns much about himself here through self-examination and through the beauty of nature that surrounds him. Being one of the most important and influential transcendentalists has a big responsibility, and Thoreau checks every mark on the list. The way he can understand how people feel by just looking at them and always looking on the brighter side of the situation is what he taught himself. But nature taught him to always live in the present and just enjoy life while it's still here because you never know when it’ll be taken away from you. In today's society, there are still many transcendentalists and influencers who look up to Thoreau and try to follow his path to success and happiness in his footsteps.
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