The Power Of Transcendentalism In Into The Wild

Within society today, every person is wanting the new phone or the new television system. People always wait in lines for hours and hours to get the new greatest things available in their era. This type of concept is very common in society today but back then it was very rare that many people wanted the newest and greatest thing. Back in the 1820s and ‘30s, American transcendentalism was a movement that underlined the usefulness and cleanliness of the individual, and quarreled that the society ruined the cleanliness of each person. Many people argue today whether transcendentalism was a good thing or a bad thing. It has also caused a lot of confusion to many individuals. Transcendentalism is a great lifestyle due to its encouragement in nature, ways of living simply, and living a deliberate lifestyle.

Transcendentalism is a very beneficial lifestyle due to its heavy encouragement of nature. A main idea of Transcendentalism is the use of living in nature which results in healthy living and finding your true. In Emerson’s Nature, it states, “In the wilderness, I find something more dear and connate than in streets or villages” (365). This quote is expressing the impact nature has on an individual and what it can do for someone. It is a place where you can relax and find your true self and what you want to be as you grow older. Emmerson is saying that the streets and villages do not bring him to the most happy he can be and the most successful he can be. Like Emerson, an article from BBC.com talks about a study that being in nature increases people’s health dramatically. It was found that, “people’s health as 'excellent' increased by 30%... this relationship is mediated by the change in connection to nature” (McRobert-Lucy). This experiment wanted to see how people’s health would be affected when in the presence of nature and being alone. The results were very positive in many people’s health being greatly affected due to being in nature. This shows that if more people go into nature, they will probably end up being happier human beings due to the affects nature can put on you and will result in the world being a better place. As seen in literature and articles today, a Transcendentalist way of living is the way to go due to its positives outcomes in the changes of health in nature.

Transcendentalism impacts many people to live as simply as possible. Transcendentalists love the way of living life simply. They do not like materialism which involves having many items and they also do not like being connected to social media. In Emerson’s Self-Reliance, it says, “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind” (362). This quote is trying to tell us that people do not need all these items to be happy and successful in life whereas the only thing people need is their own minds. If people have enough integrity in their mind, then they will be very successful in life and also be living a very simplistic lifestyle because they will not have a lot of distractions in their life. In the movie Into The Wild, the main character Chris McCandless tells his parents “I don’t want a new car, the car I have right now is perfectly fine and working” (Confused on how to do this citation). What Chris wanted was a simple life but his parents were making it hard for him to do that. That is one of the reasons he decided to run away from home and go to Alaska to be by himself. He wanted to live a simplistic life where no one would tell him what to do and he could make his own decisions. Chris ended up burning all of his identification and his money and car so he could not be found and be able to live the lifestyle he wanted to live. Living simply benefits a person’s life because it teaches them how to live with very little things and still be successful.

Transcendentalism has many people trying to live their life with a purpose and to live deliberately. Transcendentalists really try to express living deliberately and to accomplish many things in their life. Transcendentalists do not want to know what they have not done in life because then they will be disappointed in what they did not do and think their life was not useful and they did not fulfill it completely. In Emerson’s Self-Reliance, it states that “With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do” (364). This quote tells us to not do the same thing over and over and to try new things and live with a purpose. If we try new things, then we will be more open to people and things that we might have used to not be open with. If a Transcendentalist persists to do the same thing over and over, they are not living deliberately because they are missing out on other wonderful things to do in life and just stuck to that one thing they are continued to be focusing on. In the Mission: Unplugged assignment, I was challenged to not use and technology for a whole day. It was very hard and I broke the vow once but the experience was incredible. I felt so good not being on any technology for a day because it gave me a chance to go outside and try and find my true self. I also felt like I was living much more deliberately because I was not always distracted on my technology and I would get things done much quicker. I felt like I had a purpose in my life because I had to help around the house and help my mom with dinner. Living deliberately definitely benefits a person’s lifestyle and how they choose to take their life in the future.

Transcendentalism has affected many individuals and what beliefs they have. Looking at Transcendentalism, the encouragement of being in nature, living a simple life, and living deliberately are all great examples of choosing this lifestyle. Transcendentalism is a very good lifestyle to live because you can really find your true self and who you want to be as an individual. Even if you do not believe in this lifestyle, try some of the techniques and see how it results for you as an individual and you will be surprised at what you see change in yourself.