Transcendentalism
For the Illuminated Individual
What is Transcendentalism?
Transcendentalism is a belief, a philosophy, a way of thinking. We believe that the individual is more important and shouldn't have to worry about dogma or authority. Founded by American philosophers Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau in the 1820s, transcendentalism was created to establish a more personal connection with God.
Our Motivation
Many people are looking elsewhere for inspiration, when they should be looking in themselves, they should be looking for inspiration at home. People conform too much with society nowadays. With Transcendentalism we help people find themselves, they can go from following the "cold and cheerless" doctrine of the Unitarian church to becoming a warm and cheerful illuminated individual by believing in the power of the self.
Our Goals
1. We hope to stop the use of slavery or at least start a movement to stop this terrible treatment of people.
2. We hope to help people believe in themselves and make them realize that they are more important than a religion or another set of beliefs.
3. We hope to change our conformist society and make people think for themselves, we want individuals, free thinking humans, not sheep.
How will we do this?
We'll compose poetry and write essays and speak to large crowds of people! We'll write books and persuade people to think about themselves!
Things we've done.
Several books have been written about Transcendentalism and these books have influenced society, one being on the topic of civil disobedience. This work "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience" was written by Henry David Thoreau, and it led to the ways people protested in the future. Some examples are MLK Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi.
Important People
Ralph Waldo Emerson: Born in 1803, Ralph Waldo Emerson is considered to be the founder and leader of Transcendentalism in the 1800s. Emerson was studying to be a Unitarian minister before he left and decided to focus on himself, the new idea of the self. He took inspiration from the Quakers and developed the idea of Transcendentalism, which is a belief that focuses on the mind, spirit, and being of one's self.
Key Events
Since transcendentalism is seen as a belief of the self, as a way of empowering the self and following the self's goals, many people associate John Brown with the transcendentalism. Since he was not conforming with the south's want for slavery, he led an unsuccessful rebellion which ended with him getting caught and executed. His failure is not what matters, it's the fact that he followed what he believed in and died for his own beliefs, he followed his own beliefs and did not conform to the south's proslavery attitude.
Other things we're connected to
Transcendentalism led to the development of the abolitionist movement, even Emerson became a passionate abolitionist.
Why should anyone contribute?
- We are trying to teach people how to think for themselves!
- We are trying to teach people how to connect with nature and themselves in a deeper level.
- With transcendentalism people can learn about the greatness of self-reliance, freedom, and optimism.
- Why follow an organized religion that is cold and cheerless that tells you what to do when you can follow your heart, mind, and soul?
Rewards for contributing!
$10 Reward:
You get a fancy new lamp so you can show off to your friends how much of an illuminated individual you are!
$50 Reward:
You get a 4 day camping trip so you can experience the beauty of nature! No more following the trends and conforming to society! Now you can start your own trend, one that only you will follow, in the forest!
$250 Reward:
A reward for the extremely illuminated individual; you get the lamp from the first reward, and a 2 year vacation to the forest where you will live in your very own brand new cabin! Now you can be just like Henry David Thoreau!
How will we promote Transcendentalism?
We will give lectures and speak to large crowds of people! We will go to the places of mass conformity such as the mall, or a fast food restaurant and start giving speeches to the masses. We will then lead them to an open area near the forest and continue our speech there. For those who are too lazy to hear the speeches in person, social media accounts will be made so people can follow what has been said.
About Me:
My name is David Villalobos
#IlluminatedIndividual
#Transcendentalism
risks...
Transcendentalism doesn't guarantee a nice afterlife or any afterlife for that matter, so if that's what you're interested in, maybe try something else.