Nature Vs Transcendentalism

“Nature” was written by Ralph Waldo Emerson and explains the importance of appreciation of nature. The work was soon used as the foundation of transcendentalism, a movement that started in the nineteenth century. Emerson believed people who were connected to nature lived a better life closer to God. He also believed people were too involved with the world aside from nature. The changing society, the material world, and everyday distractions were keeping people from splurging in the beauty of nature. In Emerson’s eyes, people were losing themselves spiritually and needed to reconnect with nature, be reminded of what and how it provides, and what is truly important. Today most people still struggle with this same concept Emerson tried to explain
It is not uncommon to hear that someone leaves out of nowhere in times of major stress, to go spend time “finding themselves” in the great outdoors. Groups of people, like the Amish, spend their lives separated from the flashing cities to live off the land and closer to God. These few who have the deep appreciation of nature are an example of the transcendentalist lifestyle. Only small numbers of people experience nature as much as Emerson preaches people to, even in his own time it was difficult to move the people enough to make them what to take a hike into nature. “Is it fair to recall that only 500 copies were sold of Nature, Emerson’s first and anonymous book...?” (Michaud, pg. 75) People fail to realize important nature is, then and now, there has not been much
If people were to spend more time secluded outside and away from technology they could see what truly is beautiful about nature. Scientist have been able to prove that being in nature can make people happier, smarter, and stronger. A test showed that people who were in the hospital recovered faster with a view of trees than with a view of a brick wall. “Nature was the first place that humans learned to survive by gathering the resources around us, just as our evolutionary ancestors did. It’s easy to lose sight of in a world so full of pre-packaged food and bottled water, but the beauty we see in rivers and plant and animal life stems from a place of survival. The food and water that exists all around us has always helped humanity to survive, so it is adaptive to perceive these things as beautiful and enjoy being around them.” (Pennock) This is one of the theories, called the Psychoevolutionary Theory, of why people become less stressed and feel better while spending time in