direction. He requires no external validation; Whitman is a complete being in and of himself, with no need for outside support.
             The second impression Emerson imparted to me was the vision of the universe as a single entity, stemming largely from his idea of the "Oversoul." According to this concept, all life, indeed all physical reality, possesses only one, all-encompassing, collective soul. This Oversoul is shared by all people, all animals, all plants, and all objects, including even God. In Emerson's journals, he mentions that, "Blessed is the day when the youth discovers that Within and Above are synonyms." (53) He also states: "Don't you see you are the Universe to yourself. You carry your fortunes in your own hand. . ." (44) The phrase, "Universe to yourself," embodies the Oversoul concept, since if one's soul encompasses all reality, then the entire universe is contained within oneself.
             Emerson even put this concept in to practice as muc
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