Emerson The American Scholar

I remember at the beginning of the year experiencing the creators of Transcendentalism. I would walk out of class and think, "Life is good! Today I can do anything. Today I can experience life. Today I can see the world. Today I can be me." Learning about transcendentalism made me happy and made me more optimistic about life. I liked that. The one author I liked the most was Emerson and the piece of literature was The American Scholar.
He talked about trusting yourself and not letting your mind be swayed by others opinions. "In the degenerate state, when the victim of society, he tends to become a mere thinker, or, still worse, the parrot of other men's thinking." (Emerson, 526) I liked imagining myself a free thinker without being persuaded by anyone. It gave me a sense of finding my true self and molding me into something I would agree with and find beautiful.
He talked about experiencing things to learn and know all aspects of life. "Drudgery, calamity, exasperation, want, are instructors in eloquence and wisdom." (Emerson, 530) This is where I realized I wanted to know life. I wanted to travel and see the world. I wanted to open my mind and experience life. It gave me more hope that even though life isn't always dandy and good, I can still learn and gain something from the bad times.
It is about seizing the day and every moment and being one with yourself and Nature. It is about being free and not fear. “Free should the scholar be,-free and brave. Free even to the definition of freedom, “without any hindrance that does not arise out of his own constitution.” Brave; for fear is a thing which a scholar by his very function puts behind him. Fear always springs from ignorance.” (Emerson, 533) I realized I can't live my life in fear. I can't live it with thinking things are too hard. I wanted to be free.
Emerson was my favorite reading this year. His work is substantial and full of meaning. His work is about the individual as Transcendentalism seemed to be. It is about knowing all of you and the world around. It is about being a whole being and knowing thyself. He doesn't want you to be disabled, but free to see, do, and be all and that seems to be good with me.