Nature & Wisdom

"What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not been discovered." - Emerson

The natural world fascinates and consumes the Transcendentals.  It is the strict belief of any Transcendental that only within nature may a person experience real solitude. Here, one may be left alone, without the disturbance of a corrupted world. Through the tranquility of the natural world, they learn about respect and appreciation. Many past Transcendentals voyaged to the natural world to find spiritual identity.  Emerson stated, "If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown!"  Here, Emerson marvels at the stars from which he acquires a feeling of respect, because they remain inaccessible. As he gazes alone, he learns to appreciate what he knows he may never fully understand, and he allows himself to feel content with that. He learns to respect the mystery they behold. Through nature, the Transcendentals acquire wisdom and proceed down the road to a Transcendental mind. emerson learned about respect and appreciation as he watched the stars, but aside from these beneficial character traits there are other ideals necessary to understand to become a real Transcendental thinker. Fundamentally, Transcendentals reject the feeling of regret. They prefer to see their errors as unfortunate experiences that ultimately taught them valuable life lessons. When confronted with an obstacle, the Transcendentals saw it best to go beyond the obstacle, rather then around it. These are two very different solutions.To them, an obstacle is not a situation in which someone is trapped, but rather is an opportunity which is why God allows  for such difficult obstacles. Transcendentals never ignore or deny their problems, they accept them as lessons waiting to be learned, and experience waiting to be earned. To successfully overcome any obstacle, one must understand that they control their own fate. To have confidence in your divine self can change the outcome of any situation. Therefore, one should not fear failure and allow him or herself to live beyond limitations. It is unhealthy to question the outcome of taking a chance. It is best to take any experience given to you.