Currently in school I am taking a class entitled Challenge American Greats. In class we basically read literature, discuss literature all while trying to better understand why this literature has a unique temperament of being great and what makes it American. Earlier this week we discussed Ralph Waldo Emerson who I found to be particularly intriguing. Emerson in short basically came up with the idea of transcendentalism but only really theorized about this ideal state of being in which you are a “transparent eyeball” seeing all, not really making or creating change, all while taking it all in. Emerson’s close friend Thoreau took this idea one step further and tested it by secluding himself from everything and simplifying his life in all aspects and life by the bare minimums in the middle of wilderness. It is here that Thoreau stated that he could absorb more of God and nature, and learn more about his own constitution as well. Thoreau said, "I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor" . In my Challenge American Greats Class we are not only trying to get a better understanding of Emerson, Thoreau and transcendentalism by looking at their literature, we are going to take a single twelve hour chunk out of our life and simply simplify. Here is my pre-anticipatory essay on my experience with the Simplicity Experiment.
As a teenager in current day 2011 society, my life as a whole is definitely nowhere near what Thoreau would classify as simplistic. Just as a student at the Winona Senior High technology, a busy schedule, planned out days far in advance and no real dependence on personal or moral instinct really play a big part of my life until I breach the home of my bedroom, late after the day is over. Over the course of my life, my parents have been consistently reminding me that being involved in too many things can have a negative impact on the other important parts of my life such as schoolwork and family relations. It is evident to me that I do let some things fall to the wayside due to the fact that I enjoy being involved in a multitude of activities. It is one of the luxuries available to the people of today’s society and it is something that I often have a hard time passing down. Living in a community where there is some type of fine art related performance, café, or event offered practically every weekend for cultural growth and a good night full of memories is hard to beat in my opinion. I believe that people often take for granted how much control we have over our day and our actions included. There are many places in the world where you are forced into this and that and are expected to not only conform but abide by someone else’s view of how you should live your life. Here we are the privileged and are able to make so many choices down to what we have for lunch every day, to what we wear on our body for clothing, to how we interact socially with other individuals and so many other things. There are many moments that I sit and wish for many more moments in a day, many more seconds to finish that test in third hour, or just time. It is those exact moments when I should instead of yearning for more time, be doing the things I feel like I have no time to undertake in my life.
Life in 2011 is technology and when you believe that you have some how distanced yourself from its grasps on you as an individual; you are then drawn back by documenting your thoughts or sharing it through some media outlet. Every evening before I fall into my deep slumber I set my final alarm on my phone to go off at 6:55 AM and two alarms on my iHome to somewhat get me half awake at 6:00 AM and 6:40 AM. After being somewhat aroused by their consistent toll I wake up take a shower and then turn on some music varying from Nat King Cole to current Shostakovich, and then do my hair with my electric flat iron. It is then when embarking off to school when I purchase a coffee, produced by a machine which often sputters at my angrily or is broken and a sausage/egg/cheese english muffin breakfast sandwich every morning at Kwik Trip. Through the duration of my school day technology becomes less apparent in my actions but is still evident through graphing calculators, my cell phone between classes, overheads, power points and the blaring intercom widely used all day long regardless of the importance of your current actions. My dependence on technology resumes the moment the bell right at 3:30 PM every afternoon. Suddenly the location and current status of my cell phone and what my schedules states for after school become incessant to my needs. Through the rest of my day I will use a car for my source of transportation an average total of six times, check not only my phone but Facebook too many times to count and listen to about four CD’s worth of music. It is only then when I finally will start the pattern all over again by putting on a CD to fall asleep to and set my three alarms for the upcoming day.
Stepping in anyone else’s shoes but your own is always a challenge because we as human beings get so used to normalcy and falling into a routine way of living. For twelve hours, I will be a modern day Thoreau. It will be a trial on my dedication and a testament to how life could be. Personally, I am excited to be able to somewhat be able to step out of myself and do something that is out of the ordinary. Change excites me and can be extremely beneficial, influential in certain situations but an overall experience that we all can learn from as the human beings of today.
Song of the day - Snakes and Lions by melpo mene
As a teenager in current day 2011 society, my life as a whole is definitely nowhere near what Thoreau would classify as simplistic. Just as a student at the Winona Senior High technology, a busy schedule, planned out days far in advance and no real dependence on personal or moral instinct really play a big part of my life until I breach the home of my bedroom, late after the day is over. Over the course of my life, my parents have been consistently reminding me that being involved in too many things can have a negative impact on the other important parts of my life such as schoolwork and family relations. It is evident to me that I do let some things fall to the wayside due to the fact that I enjoy being involved in a multitude of activities. It is one of the luxuries available to the people of today’s society and it is something that I often have a hard time passing down. Living in a community where there is some type of fine art related performance, café, or event offered practically every weekend for cultural growth and a good night full of memories is hard to beat in my opinion. I believe that people often take for granted how much control we have over our day and our actions included. There are many places in the world where you are forced into this and that and are expected to not only conform but abide by someone else’s view of how you should live your life. Here we are the privileged and are able to make so many choices down to what we have for lunch every day, to what we wear on our body for clothing, to how we interact socially with other individuals and so many other things. There are many moments that I sit and wish for many more moments in a day, many more seconds to finish that test in third hour, or just time. It is those exact moments when I should instead of yearning for more time, be doing the things I feel like I have no time to undertake in my life.
Life in 2011 is technology and when you believe that you have some how distanced yourself from its grasps on you as an individual; you are then drawn back by documenting your thoughts or sharing it through some media outlet. Every evening before I fall into my deep slumber I set my final alarm on my phone to go off at 6:55 AM and two alarms on my iHome to somewhat get me half awake at 6:00 AM and 6:40 AM. After being somewhat aroused by their consistent toll I wake up take a shower and then turn on some music varying from Nat King Cole to current Shostakovich, and then do my hair with my electric flat iron. It is then when embarking off to school when I purchase a coffee, produced by a machine which often sputters at my angrily or is broken and a sausage/egg/cheese english muffin breakfast sandwich every morning at Kwik Trip. Through the duration of my school day technology becomes less apparent in my actions but is still evident through graphing calculators, my cell phone between classes, overheads, power points and the blaring intercom widely used all day long regardless of the importance of your current actions. My dependence on technology resumes the moment the bell right at 3:30 PM every afternoon. Suddenly the location and current status of my cell phone and what my schedules states for after school become incessant to my needs. Through the rest of my day I will use a car for my source of transportation an average total of six times, check not only my phone but Facebook too many times to count and listen to about four CD’s worth of music. It is only then when I finally will start the pattern all over again by putting on a CD to fall asleep to and set my three alarms for the upcoming day.
Stepping in anyone else’s shoes but your own is always a challenge because we as human beings get so used to normalcy and falling into a routine way of living. For twelve hours, I will be a modern day Thoreau. It will be a trial on my dedication and a testament to how life could be. Personally, I am excited to be able to somewhat be able to step out of myself and do something that is out of the ordinary. Change excites me and can be extremely beneficial, influential in certain situations but an overall experience that we all can learn from as the human beings of today.
1 comment:
Thoreau=AMAZING!!! Now I'm off to my mass communications and the media class... hah, ironic.
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