Transcendentalist.

I am not a complete transcendentalist, because being so would be conforming. Transcendentalists do not conform to groups or society so I guess I am a transcendentalist. But by not conforming I am conforming, along with all the others who are not conforming. I have my own beliefs on life, a little transcendentalist and a little bit not. I believe in personal thought and self reliance. I feel that I have to trust myself.  I love nature and I live close to it. I always reject the past. I do not think about the past and if I do not like the past, if there is even the slightest amount of discomfort with the past, it never happened. I live in the moment and for today. I do not believe that you have to go to church to have a relationship with god, but I don’t believe the only way is through nature and personal. I do not think I have to go live by a pond for two years like Thoreau. I am not an extremist. I think I am a transcendentalist within reason. To me, sometimes it feels like transcendentalists go to extremes, but everything is not what it seems. You can live a transcendentalist lifestyle without having to go out into wilderness wearing one shirt and living on six weeks of pay. There is no need for torturing yourself. Just live with what you need to live safely and healthily. Give back to the community and share your knowledge. Spread the word of the happy lifestyle you live. Be an artist. Create. Imagine. Think not enough and over think. Mess up. Do it perfectly. Do not just sit there and learn. Discover until you are out of discoveries. Most importantly, “Know thyself”. This is your life motto. Live it.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting.

This poem “A Psalm of Life” is glorious.  Longfellow does such a great job. It’s a wonderful piece of literature. I have many things to say about it. First off, this poem is my favorite poem ever. There is no doubt in my mind that this poem has had the most impact on me than any other poem ever has, and I read a lot of poems. In my opinion, Longfellow was basically trying to say be open to any fate. Never stop giving, always keep giving. Be patient. Live your life, and achieve great things in the process. Like the bible verse “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid.” Longfellow writes “Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be a hero in the strife!” This means do not be a crazed person who loses sight of the goal. Be a hero. Go through trouble. Know your goal. Achieve it. My two favorite parts of the poem are: 1) “Art is long, and time is fleeting, and our hearts, though stout and brave, Still, like muffled drums, are beating funeral marches to the grave” To me, that means that our hearts may be beating now but time is inevitable who knows how long you will last. What if tomorrow was your last day? Have you done all you’d hoped to do? Have you achieved greatness? 2) “Lives of great men all remind us we can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us footprints on the sands of time.” This quote means we all have the power to achieve greatness. We can do absolutely anything. With everything the world has to offer you, be a hero. Have you left your name in the sand? Did you have an impact on the world? Will you be remembered for all the good you have accomplished? This poem made me think about what people would remember me by. I do not want to be remembered as the selfish person that did not care. I want to be the girl that made a huge impact on the people around her. I want people to think highly of me when they no longer see me. "We can make our lives sublime." I want my gravestone to be embellished with memorial flowers and looked at remembering how I helped others not to be knocked down, kicked, or vandalized. I want future generations to fight to keep my stone there when companies want to take it down. I want to be remembered for achieving my goals. If my name can’t be remembered then I want whatever I do to help everyone in the future. I want to be an inspiration.