Mind and Nature

Katrina Moore
Cotch
ENG 215
March 14, 2013

We are born into this world free of bias and predilection. Left to find out the inner workings of life the best way we see fit. And with each new birth, the cycle of infinite potential and limitless possibilities starts anew. In "nature, " Ralph Waldo Emerson explains how a mind, free of histories and traditions, can use nature to draw its own conclusions and develop relationships.
Emerson looked to nature as a means for man to shed the ideals and traditions of the past and greet life with a new outlook. "To the body and mind which have been cramped by noxious work or company, nature is the medicinal and restores their tone" (513). Nature serves as a cleanser. A day spa for the mind. Helping to remove the mundane and awaken the mind to the possibilities of the world. This freedom of thought gives us the opportunity to develop new ideas.
Emerson saw nature as a way for us to take our awakened minds and develop original and dynamic ways of thinking. A vehicle of thought. "To the attentive eye, each moment of the year has its own beauty, many in the same field, it beholds, every hour, a picture which was never seen before, and shall never be seen again." (514). Just as every birth starts the cycle of discovery, nature is continually changing, reproducing, evolving, giving us an infinite number of ways to grow and expand our way of thinking.
With an ever changing world, we cannot rely on the ideas and revelations left to us. We must be like and learn from nature and continue to grow and evolve.
Emerson also thought that nature could be a means for us to broaden the confines of our thought. "Nature stretched out her arms to embrace man, only let his thoughts be of equal greatness... Only let his thoughts be of equal and the frame will suit the picture" (515). With this statement, Emerson shows that if we are willing to expand our thoughts to reflect the influence and magnitude of nature, then the scope of our creative will equal that of nature.
In addition to helping us develop original thoughts, Emerson saw nature as a way for us to connect with the world. "but all natural objects make a kindred impression, when the mind is open to their influence" (509). Through nature, man is able to view the world as it is meant to be seen. Untouched by human hands, nature is one of the few mediums left in the world that gives us the opportunity to develop our own conclusions.
And since nature is constantly changing, our relationship with the world must also be ever changing. Allowing us an infinite number of ways to develop our relationship with the world around us.
Emerson also viewed nature as a chance to build a new sense of spirituality and build a relationship with God. "We are as much strangers in nature, as we are aliens from god" (530). Emerson saw nature as the image of God. And by developing a relationship with nature we would also be developing a relationship with God. Emerson also stated, "I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the
Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God" (511). With this
Emerson is stating that God can be found in all men. And in order to develop a proper relationship with God we must develop a relationship with ourselves. "The happiest man is he who learns from nature the lesson of worship" (530). Nature is a teacher. A minister, preaching to us the gospel of life. The more time we spend with nature the deeper our relationship with God will grow.
Emerson also went on to say "nature is the symbol of the spirit" (516). If we are to develop a true sense of spirituality we must become in touch with nature. "So intimate is this Unity, that, it is easily seen, it lies under the undermost garments of nature and betrays its source as universal spirit" (523). Nature and spirituality are so closely untwined that its hard to have one without the other.
In conclusion, Ralph Waldo Emerson used "Nature" to help illustrate how we, with open minds, can use nature develop original ways of thinking, broaden the confines of our thoughts, connect with the world around us and build a sense of spirituality. Just as we are born into this world ripe and ready for discovery, nature continually offers us chances for new discovery.