Henry David Who?

                Before Lit Civ 2, I had never read a word of Thoreau or Emerson, or at least had no recollection of it. However, judging by the almost unanimous negative reaction when they were brought up in class, it sounds like an experience I wouldn’t have forgotten. I’m not sure how I made it through high school without being exposed to these writers, but I am glad I finally read them in this class. Maybe it was because we read them in small doses via short passages and not a full work, but I actually enjoyed the passages from Walden and Self-Reliance. Sure, the selections were tough to decipher after the first read, but they made me think. They made me ponder my way of life and if I should be doing something differently. I don’t necessarily agree with everything they say, but they do make many valid points.

                One viewpoint that stood out to me was the idea that you shouldn’t take any advice from other people or imitate in any way. A passage from Walden reads, “Practically, the old have no very important advice to give the young, their own experience has been so partial, and their lives have been such miserable failures.” I take advice from my elders all the time. I value the input of my parents and grandparents because they have a lot more experience in this thing called life. I don’t agree with Emerson when he is essentially saying that old people who give advice are failures. I understand learning on my own is important, but there a lot in this world I wouldn’t know if it weren’t for my elders. Perhaps Emerson is suggesting that I would have discovered these things on my own anyway.

                This ties into the next point about not trying to replicate what others do; Thoreau says, “Insist on yourself, never imitate.” I struggle with this concept a little bit too. I am a member of the Chancellor’s Leadership Program in which we learn about the Social Change Model, ethical leadership, and general way to help us become better leaders. One article we read is entitled “The Power of Full Engagement,” and it essentially outlines different ways to maximize your daily amount of energy. For example, one tactic is to fully engage yourself for short periods of time then fully disengaging to seek renewal before jumping back into it; basically sprinting instead of running a marathon. The article also advises drinking plenty of water. In essence, if I implemented these ideas in my daily routine, wouldn’t that be imitating? If I apply proven methods that could improve the way I live that someone else thought of first, am I imitating?

                I don’t think that Emerson and Thoreau would have approved of this because they would have believed it better if I figure out my own methods instead of using those of others. They surely would not have purchased any self-help books either. But I agree and disagree; I think it is beneficial to try the methods suggested in the article, but adapt them to what fits you best. Basically using the ideas as a guideline more than a strict rule.

                Another point made in the article that clashes with the views of these authors is the notion of “positive rituals.” The idea here is to do more basic and fundamental everyday actions on autopilot to conserve as much energy as possible for creative, enriching, and thus more demanding actions. Both Thoreau and Emerson speak about foolish consistencies and how easy it is for us to make a beaten path for ourselves. Although they’re probably referring to blindly following society’s traditions, I think they may have had something to say about these positive rituals. I believe they would have emphasized always being conscious and looking into oneself instead of putting your life on autopilot.

                Overall, I think Thoreau and Emerson make many valid points about blindly following society. One should truly be an individual and not succumb to senseless traditions. I just thought it was interesting how what I am learning today clashes with what they wrote about. And it makes me think: who is correct? I am not a true transcendentalist, but I do see myself implementing several of their ideas into my everyday life.