Transcendentalism is a term that confuses me, to say the least. However, after doing a little bit of research I think I can understand the basice concept. That is basically that transcendentalism is based upon the belief that the ideas of reality should be discovered by the study of the process of thought. It relates to nature and rests on the belief of individuality and the power of divine within the individuals. For the most part, I agree with this. I am all for individuality. However, the way in which Ermerson and Thoreau depict this sense of individuality comes off a little bit too strong.
Transcendental means superior, as well. So, it is good to strive to be the best you can, but if everyone had their own superior sense of individuality, the sense of organization would be completly lost and I think we would all be in trouble!
With that being said, being an individual is a good think, but we must not take it to the extreme and get carried away. Personality is key and being who you want to be is key as well. We can not rely on text to tell us who we should and should not (or can and can not) be.
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