Well, I guess no one wants to discuss Jack Kerouac. Can't say as I blame.
How about transcendentalism? I wouldn't necessarily classify myself as a transcendentalist, but I can certainly see the appeal. It doesn't demand absolute devotion, with Emerson claiming that it wouldn't even be possible. I can certainly go along with that. As long as it doesn't veer off into socialism, it is a relaxing philosophy, if not a virile one.
But I don't suppose anyone (me included) can relax enough to put down their respective swords long enough to give it a whirl. Then again, current events don't exactly make it easy.
Why don't they teach this stuff in school? It's as much a part of American history as anything else. If I asked the average high school graduate if he or she was a transcendentalist, they would look at me as if I had been licking frogs.
I wonder if there really are any true transcendentalists today. All I can find are pontificating idiots who want to solve everyone else's problems. Or hippies who want to reap the benefits without having to put in the actual time to the actual thought processes necessary, but don't believe in the fundamentals anyway.
Spirituality will never die. For whatever reason, we are hardwired to believe in the Supernatural. Transcendentalism seems like a very good way of combatting our human instinct to beat crap out of each other over issues of doctrine. It's uniquely American in it's simplicity and efficiency. I think that's why I am so attracted to it on so many levels.
http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/t/transcendentalism.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendentalism
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