Transcendentalism
What would Henry David Thoreau, a transcendentalist in the 19th century, think if he were to visit our society today? I think Thoreau would be very disappointed at the lack of simplicity like there was in the 1800's, the lack of bonding with nature, and the fast paced speed at which everything has advanced to. With simplicity being the main transcendentalist idea, Thoreau would greatly criticize such advanced things as, the television or the computer. A transcendentalist would believe in the preserving of earth and to take life slow also. Since the 19th century, society has changed; it has seen many technological advances, is currently moving at a much faster pace then the 1800's, and has over gone various environmental issues.
The way of the transcendentalists were to be simple, in tuned with nature, to live life slowly. Society today, is the exact opposite. This however, does depend on what society you are talking about.
Original title page of Walden featuring a picture ...
English: Henry David Thoreau, photograph taken in ...
English: Portrait by Benjamin D. Maxham (daguerreo...In general, the bigger the city that you live in, the faster it goes. The city does not sleep. The country on the other hand, does. There is where you might find a few people whose ways are similar to the transcendentalists.
The technological advancements since the 19th century has enabled us to make life quicker and most of all easier. Practically everything that you could only do by hand back then, you can do with some sort of machine or tool now. It seems like the only thing that people really do by hand now days, is when we bathe or groom ourselves. (But I'm sure in the future, someone will have come up with an invention that will do it all for us) This technological advancement however has made it difficult for people to even consider transcendentalism. How many...