19th Century Rebels

Introduced to the Transcendentalists some twenty years ago in Ms. Schulz's American Literature class, I remember feeling a sense of kinship. Something about their writings said, "We're like you. You're not alone." Whether it was their critique of Enlightenment thought, particularly the fanatical obedience to the masters of logic and the scientific method, or their rejection of 19th century Christian ideology, the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau resonated with me. Looking back on my 15-year-old self, I suspect it had little to do with the reasons my 35-year-old self just identified. In 1983, I cared little about critiquing Enlightenment thought or religious ideology. Instead, I was drawn to Emerson's attitudes regarding Self-Reliance and Thoreau's beliefs regarding Civil Disobedience. Truthfully, I know didn't fully grasp what either author was trying to convey. What I did understand, however, was that the Transcendentalists were the intellectual and theological rebels of their time. They listened to the unique whisper of their inner voice rather than the hive-like drone of the masses. As Emerson wrote:

"What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. This rule, equally arduous in actual and in intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude."

Today, I have a much better grasp of the "independence of solitude." Although one is likely to be branded a geek, nerd, dork, bookworm, rabble-rouser, or trouble-maker, there's a great degree of freedom that comes from following your own path. When I listen to my inner voice, and act accordingly, I know I'm doing what's right . . . for me.