Transcendentalism is a philosophy that the knowledge of reality truly comes from the analysis of our thought process, and is the basis for the literary movement that started in the Untied States in the 1800s. Defined as: “every person is divine and you must rely on yourself to find God and transcend the confines of the physical world. Through your own intuition, you can come to know higher truths”. Despite the norms at the time, Transcendentalists like Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson left the church to seek a more meaningful spiritual experience. A large belief that they had was in self-reliance and intuition; consequently, they believed that individuals seek God by looking inward. Instead of only looking towards God, individuals should rely on their own heart and moral compass to guide their lives. Trusting their intuition, individuals should follow their gut and do what they believe.
Jane Goodall, who has Transcendental characteristics around self-reliance, trusted her different future path and didn’t let anyone change how she wanted to live her life. Jane Goodall is a primatologist; she is known for studying wild chimpanzees in Tanzania during the 1960s. Jane didn’t study biology or science in college; therefore, she received little to no respect from the scientific community when she started studying the chimpanzees. Trusting herself, Jane wasn’t bothered by the lack of respect, and she chose her own path that lead her to where she is now as an advocate for the chimpanzees and an environmentalist. Jane believes, “change
happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something that you don’t believe is right. ”(Goodall). Following the same path as many people today; namely, getting a college degree in their field of study and then starting their career isn’t the only way to succeed in what you want to do in life. Jane believed in herself and felt “a sense of calm came over me. More and more often I found myself thinking, ‘this is where I belong. This is what I came into this world to do.” (Goodall). Trusting her intuition, Jane has a happy life while being successful with helping the chimpanzees and wildlife today because she did what she believed was best for herself. A quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson I believe describes Jane Goodall’s attitude is “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” (Emerson 1).
Henry David Thoreau states: “go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” (Thoreau 1). Henry David Thoreau believes if you keep your chin up and go in the path that you know is right for you, it will allow you to succeed in the life you imagine. While I am not a full Transcendentalist, I do have Transcendental characteristics of self-reliance and intuition. My goal is to be happy for myself, successful, love others, and be confident in my choices. In order to have these things I believe I must have a say for myself. I began gymnastics when I was a toddler. I quit when I was about 14 years old. This was not an easy decision, but after strong reflection I realized that even though I love gymnastics I was not getting enough fulfillment to continue to have gymnastics to be apart of my future. Today I am happy with my decision; however, I know that this doesn’t mean I will always make the right decision for myself. As long as I know the direction I want to go, I must rely on my own heart and my own moral compass to guide my life.
