Mrs. House
English III
1 May 2008
Give Peace A Chance
Author Ayn Rand believes “the worst curse on mankind is the ability to consider ideals as something quite abstract and detached from one’s everyday life” (Ayn Rand (JAR) 66). Transcendentalism, a literary and social movement that took place in the nineteenth-century, is considered quite abstract by some. However, others see transcendentalism as a way to use physical facts of the natural world as a doorway to the spiritual or ideal world. Regardless of one’s beliefs, transcendentalism is still a part of the world’s culture today.
Naturally this movement is instilled in the American tradition because it was at the heart of the new country’s coming of age (Arpin 170). This philosophical and literary movement was at its highest point during the years of 1836 to 1846 (“Transcendentalism” 319). Among transcendentalism’s writers were Margaret Fuller, Walt Whitman, and two of the most famous transcendentalists, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Although, the British and German Romanticists encouraged transcendentalism, the movement was definitely an American movement (“Transcendentalism” 320). Transcendentalist writing promotes the thought of nature as godly and the human soul as being naturally wise. Therefore, transcendentalists go beyond everyday human physical experiences to try to determine the ultimate reality of God, the universe, the self, and other important matters (Arpin 170).
As with most literary movements, transcendentalist’s had several different beliefs and characteristics. The transcendentalists believed that everything in the world, including people, is a reflection of God. They thought that the doorway to the spiritual world was through the physical world. The transcendentalists did not value customs and traditions; they valued self-reliance and individualism (Arpin 171). Transcendentalists saw decency and beauty in everyday reality. “Like many Americans today, they also believed in human perfectibility, and they worked very hard to achieve their goals” (Arpin 171). The transcendentalist’s thought that when tragic things happen, such as death, disaster, and disease, all of these things can be explained on a spiritual level (Arpin 171). They thought if one trusted oneself, then the person would be able to know God directly. As a result, people can use intuition to see God’s spirit both in nature and their own souls.
Using the idea that less is often best, the transcendentalist’s did not like government because they thought government had too much control over society. According to transcendentalists, government wanted everybody to be the same. Emerson thought that it was not wise to reflect oneself after others; one should work hard, try new things, and be himself (Emerson 209). Transcendentalist’s felt that everyone should trust his own intuition and try to be a non-conformist. Too many government rules, on the other hand, required people to conform to certain customs and traditions.
Because this movement began in the nineteenth century, the best way to spread transcendental ideas was through writing, and two of the most famous transcendentalist writers were Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Both Emerson and Thoreau encouraged and supported the transcendentalism movement. Emerson was one of the most powerful thinkers in the 19th century (“Self-Reliance” 314). He promoted the idea that the belief of God was present in all things. Emerson is recognized best for his essay “Self-Reliance,” which became a kind of handbook for the transcendentalists. Thoreau’s writings have become a direct influence for many civil rights leaders including Mahatma Gandhi. Also both Emerson and Thoreau thought that nature was very godly. Had it not been for the works of these two famous writers, transcendentalism may not have become as important as it is today.
In Emerson’s essay “Self-Reliance,” he tried to help people renew themselves after the period of Andrew Jackson’s presidency. Throughout Emerson’s essay he encourages that everyone should “trust thyself” (Emerson 210) and be a non-conformist. He thought that one must begin by listening to himself first instead of following everyone else. For Emerson looking to children for honesty and nonconformity was the best guide. “To be great is to be misunderstood” (Emerson 210). In other words, Emerson believed that before one could be great, one had to be different. Often, individuality precedes greatness.
Thoreau, on the other hand, urged people to be more vocal with their ideas. In Thoreau’s essay “Resistance to Civil Government,” also known as “Civil Disobedience,” he encourages people to speak up about government and tell officials how they want the government to be. To Thoreau, “…government is best which governs not at all” (Thoreau 236). He wanted people to protest government policies and felt that the only thing government does for the people is put obstacles in their way. He says that people often talk about the government but they need to back up what they say (Thoreau 238). He thought that the individual voice of one person can make a difference in government. Also, Thoreau talks about how he was put in jail for refusing to pay his poll taxes, and this was his way of protesting against the government (Thoreau 238). He often said that people must peacefully break the rules sometimes to make a difference in how things work. In addition, he believed that democracy needs to be improved, and people need to be individuals (Thoreau 239). This is an idea that can still be applied to world affairs today.
Throughout the years since the nineteenth century, many famous leaders have attempted to create change and individualism in peaceful ways. They looked to the principles of transcendentalism to help establish peace and hoped that it would spread throughout the world. One of the most famous of these leaders is Mohandas Gandhi also known as Mahatma, which means great soul. Born in Porbander, a coastal town north of Bombay, India, Gandhi was the fourth child of a very religious mother and a father who was the Prime Minister of India, which was controlled by Great Britain at the time (Lebra 308). From an early age, Gandhi lived by the ideas of transcendentalism. He followed Thoreau’s belief that peaceful change is most important and that no country could ever become happy through war (Gandhi 244). These transcendental ideas became extremely valuable to Gandhi as he completed his education and worked to achieve freedom for his homeland.
After receiving his law degree in London, Gandhi went to South Africa, which was also controlled by Great Britain, to begin his law practice (Lyer 25). Because he was an Indian who claimed his rights as a British subject, Gandhi was abused and suffered from discrimination, as did all Indians, and although he had only planned to stay in South Africa for one year, he remained for twenty-one years working for Indian rights (Lyer 25). In South Africa, he promoted civil disobedience campaigns, organized peaceful strikes by Indian workers, and was arrested many times by the British. Ironically, he also supported the British when he felt justice was on their side (Lyer 25). Regardless of the cause, Gandhi always followed the transcendental ideas of peaceful reform and became famous enough that many leaders used his strategies to achieve justice (“Mohandas” 270).
Throughout all of his work in South Africa, Gandhi’s desire for freedom for his homeland remained foremost in his mind, and he returned to India in 1941 (Lyer 25). Within five years he became the leader of the Indian Nationalist Movement, a program to achieve independence from Great Britain (Lyer 25). This reinforced Gandhi’s beliefs in transcendentalism because he felt strongly that Indians were not British and should enjoy individual rights. Unfortunately, the Indian Nationalist Movement caused Great Britain to impose violence and cruelty upon those involved. This made Gandhi even more determined to achieve independence for India through nonviolent resistance (Lyer 25).
Although it took him many years and several jail sentences to accomplish freedom for his country, Gandhi never gave up and never encouraged or supported violence. He found ways to make India economically independent by beginning a program of hand spinning and weaving which accomplished the following:
…the program aided economic freedom by making India self-sufficient in cloth; promoted social freedom through the dignity of labor; and advanced political freedom by challenging the British textile industry and by preparing Indians for self-government. (Lyer 25)
One of Gandhi’s most noted ways of creating non-violent change was to fast. Even though he was not always outspoken as Thoreau had suggested in his writings, Gandhi voiced his opinions by suffering through starvation. His fasts became famous and important examples of modern transcendentalist ideas. His refusal to nourish himself showed how sincere he was about change, social reform, and unfair government control. His example encouraged others to follow in his footsteps, and India finally gained its freedom from Great Britain. In 1948, at the age of seventy-eight, Gandhi began his final fast as a way to promote peace between Hindu, Muslim, and other groups (Lyer 25). When leaders of these groups agreed to stop fighting, Gandhi broke his fast. Twelve days later while traveling to a prayer meeting in New Delhi, India, Gandhi was assassinated by a Hindu fanatic, and the world mourned his death. Concerning Gandhi, noted scientist Albert Einstein said, “Generations to come will scarcely believe that such a one as this walked the Earth in flesh and blood” (as qtd. in Lyer 25).
Although transcendentalism is a nineteenth century idea, the effects of the movement have lasted into the twenty-first century. Unfortunately, many of the great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi who believed and followed the movement have been assassinated. Even though transcendental ideas are realistic, valuable, and needed, the World does not seem to want to accept them. Many governments are still too powerful, many people still live with discrimination, and war seems to be the most popular way to solve disagreements. Emerson and Thoreau would have been proud to know that Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and others have followed their teachings. Nevertheless, many leaders today are simply not ready to give peace a chance.