Transcendentalism: Ideals and Reality

             In 2002, the United States stock market investors took a massive hit. Heads and accountants of the technology giant, Enron, were exposed for falsifying their records. Instead of reporting their loss they lied and reported gains to draw investment. These few corrupt officials profited enormously when the lies caused their own stock holdings to rise in value. When these records were exposed, the company was decimated. The stock value was reduced to pennies, thousands of jobs were instantly lost, and the entire technology market was severely impacted. What does the Enron scandal have to do with a nineteenth century spiritual movement? The point is the actions of few rippled out to affect the nation. However, The beliefs of transcendentalism are inapplicable. On the national level, people are too materialistic. In effect, falling into conformity has become characteristic of Americans. The self-reliance preached by transcendentalists is nothing more than a helpful guide to spiritual peace and moral improvement.
             Henry David Thoreau took his view of transcendentalism to practice. He lived a rugged life surrounded by nature for years searching for answers to life and the most perfect way to live it. His ideas involved the least amount of government, if at all, the pursuit of actions influenced by the heart and soul, and as little mind paid to society and its values. Thoreau was not only an idealist, but also an extremist. A transcendentalist utopia would be an impossible transformation on a national level. Let's entertain the notion that everyone in the United States looked into their conscience and lived a moral life that Thoreau believed was possible. People would probably be pleased with their level of contentment; after all, every human is good by nature, according to Thoreau. However, after a period of time the contentment would pass. The nature of Americans would show itself. This is the nature of wanting more, of greed. If one...

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Transcendentalism: Ideals and Reality. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 15:51, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/94919.html