Transcendentalism Essay

Transcendentalism has commenced in movies, television shows, music, poetry, politics and all other pop-culture items. Man, God and nature are all beings that are connected though the universe as well as spirit. To know God is to know yourself and to know nature is to know yourself as well. Everything in the world is connected though each other. The idea of pop- culture seems to demonstrate the ideals of transcendentalism. Music seems to connect to people more than anything else. The messages that songs send to listeners impact their lives and opinions differently. The song “I Believe I can Fly” by R. Kelly expresses the elements of transcendentalism throughout the lyrics. This piece shows that the connection between man and nature is natural and unbreakable, The reliance on the self for improvement, and the need to remove the self from the distractions of owning possessions.

Transcendentalism is based on the connection among Man, Nature, and God. It shows that the connection between these beings are natural and unbreakable. “I Believe I can Fly” is an example of this unbreakable bond. “I believe I can fly, I believe I can touch the sky”(line 7-8) The repetition in this line expresses that the physical or spiritual emotion that one has received is making one feel as if they are capable of doing anything, even doing something impossible such as flying. Man is connected through nature by feeling and emotion as well as love and affection. The main aspect of these two beings being connected is the main idea of transcendentalism. Putting yourself before others is an important tactic that not many people demonstrate in their everyday lives. Many people rely on others to get them through things that they are very well capable of doing on their own, but they choose not to. To choose not to do something on your own is the idea of laziness at it’s finest. The reliance on oneself for improvement is an idea that can be expressed through an independent individual. In the song “I Believe I can Fly” a line that states this part of transcendentalism is “There are miracles in life I must achieve, But first I know it starts inside of me.” (Line 18-19) This is narrated to expose ones bravery and dignity. It allows one to see that the answer is always inside of one and we don’t need others assistance to bring it out of us. Man versus self is showed throughout this concept. One needs to have reliance on the self for improvement. Now-a-days people are very dependent. Having cell phones, internet, computers, Ipads, and any other electronic device will lower the social interfere and development of one. Electronic devices seem to be taking over the lives of many and it is only getting worse. Even distractions such as love are getting in the way of the true meaning of life and what it is to live. Such dependent individuals cannot decide anything for oneself. These types of distractions are held anywhere and everywhere. If one was to remove the self from all distracting possessions, then life would be viewed at a completely different approach. In the song “I Believe I can Fly” this hypothesis is proven to be correct. “I used to think that I could not go on, and life was nothing but an awful song.” (Line 1-2) This line is explaining that when life gets hard we tend to go to other people to help and support us. Thinking that one can not live on in such terrible circumstances, but in reality, the distractions in ones life is unnecessary and can be worked around. All-in-all, if one is removed from all complications, life would become significantly simpler, easier and peaceful.

The significance behind the song “I Believe I can Fly” by R. Kelly can be used to demonstrate the ideals of transcendentalism. This song expresses all the components of transcendentalism through the connection of man, nature and god. From the mid 1830’s to the late 1840’s the idea of transcendentalism was prominent and it is still seen in todays pop-culture music, movies, politics, poems and other pop-culture items. This piece shows that the connection between man and nature is natural and unbreakable as well as the reliance on the self for improvement and also the need to remove the self from the distractions of owning possessions. “I Believe I can Fly” is a prime example of the idea of transcendentalism. Hundreds of artists base their lyrics off of the idea of transcendentalism and although it was well-known back then, it is still used today as well.