Transcendentalism was an intellectual movement that encouraged eight moral ideals. These ideals were intended to give structure to everyday life and improve the moral character of those who lived according to them. Although the transcendental movement has mostly subsided there are still many people who live following transcendental principles. A modern day example of living for transcendentalism is the life of Chris McCandless. The life, journey, and death of Chris McCandless is told in the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. In the book Krakauer shows the many ways McCandless exemplifies transcendental life in the modern day.
In chapter eleven Chris McCandless demonstrates the transcendental key of non-conformity while conversing with his …show more content…
We have read several pieces of literature intended to provoke thought and inspire us to make a change in our lives. The literature, however, had the opposite effect on me. I found transcendentalism to be incredibly frustrating. I don’t necessarily disagree with the ideas behind transcendentalism, but overall I disagree with the movement because of the way the “founders” went about spreading their ideas. I disagree with transcendentalism because I see it as hypocritical. One of the main points of transcendentalism is non-conformity. It urges you to not fall into the pressure to submit to the beliefs of those around you. However, I believe transcendental literature pushes just the opposite. The views expressed through transcendental writing push adhering to specific ideals in order to live your best life. Which in turn eliminates any room for self- expression or the opportunity to reject the stated ideas. I also dislike the dramatic lifestyle choices that stem from transcendentalism. Such as in Thoreau’s essay “Walden”. In “Walden” Thoreau moves to a remote area in order to find himself and simplify his life. I find that to be completely unnecessary. There are many practical ways to implement transcendental ideas into your daily life. Those involved in the transcendental movement pushed their ideas too hard and by showing dramatic lifestyle changes they made a transcendental life look out of reach. I believe those are the biggest downfalls of the transcendentalist
In chapter eleven Chris McCandless demonstrates the transcendental key of non-conformity while conversing with his …show more content…
We have read several pieces of literature intended to provoke thought and inspire us to make a change in our lives. The literature, however, had the opposite effect on me. I found transcendentalism to be incredibly frustrating. I don’t necessarily disagree with the ideas behind transcendentalism, but overall I disagree with the movement because of the way the “founders” went about spreading their ideas. I disagree with transcendentalism because I see it as hypocritical. One of the main points of transcendentalism is non-conformity. It urges you to not fall into the pressure to submit to the beliefs of those around you. However, I believe transcendental literature pushes just the opposite. The views expressed through transcendental writing push adhering to specific ideals in order to live your best life. Which in turn eliminates any room for self- expression or the opportunity to reject the stated ideas. I also dislike the dramatic lifestyle choices that stem from transcendentalism. Such as in Thoreau’s essay “Walden”. In “Walden” Thoreau moves to a remote area in order to find himself and simplify his life. I find that to be completely unnecessary. There are many practical ways to implement transcendental ideas into your daily life. Those involved in the transcendental movement pushed their ideas too hard and by showing dramatic lifestyle changes they made a transcendental life look out of reach. I believe those are the biggest downfalls of the transcendentalist