Transcendentalism Today
Though you may think transcendentalism is dead and gone, it is in fact still existing, thriving even, in our world today. Though not as outspoken as they were in Thoreau and Emerson's times, transcendentalists are still out there. In fact, you probably know many people with at least a few transcendental beliefs. In today's era, there is an especially strong transcendental vibe in the world of ads and media, which is complete irony. Big companies are telling you to buy their products in order to be an individual, but if you give into these pressures you are just joining the rest of society and losing your individualism.
Examples in Society
-Ray-Ban has a new campaign called "Never Hide". It is centered around the idea of standing out and being yourself, however if you buy sunglasses from this massively popular company, and everyone else buys the same ones, aren't you just blending in by following the crowds?
-Another campaign similar to Ray-Ban's is Vera Bradley's Be Colorful campaign. As you can see in the below picture, it portrays a little girl who stands out from the crowds because she is wearing Vera Bradley and she chose to dress differently. The same idea applies, if everyone is told that by wearing Vera Bradley they will stand out and be different so they all wear it, then they will all just blend in with each other. That is society. No one is their own person. No one stands out.
Right in our own Backyards?
It happens right here in Westfield: everyone wants to fit in, be liked and have friends, so they conform to what society wants them to be. To quote a very accurate Will Smith, "Too many people buy things they don't need with money they don't have to impress people they don't even like". We need to learn that we shouldn't only focus on impressing other people. If you conform to be a person who you are not, then people don't actually like the real you, they like the mask you put on. There is a huge difference between the two, and people need to realize that concept.
Click HERE listen to Good Charlotte's song "The Anthem" It has very transcendental messages of individualism and non-conformity. Good Charlotte was know for this because they were a very unique band, not just another pop sensation. They did not care if everyone liked them, they just made music the way they wanted to. See if you can find any transcendental sounding lines int the song!
Though you may think transcendentalism is dead and gone, it is in fact still existing, thriving even, in our world today. Though not as outspoken as they were in Thoreau and Emerson's times, transcendentalists are still out there. In fact, you probably know many people with at least a few transcendental beliefs. In today's era, there is an especially strong transcendental vibe in the world of ads and media, which is complete irony. Big companies are telling you to buy their products in order to be an individual, but if you give into these pressures you are just joining the rest of society and losing your individualism.
Examples in Society
-Ray-Ban has a new campaign called "Never Hide". It is centered around the idea of standing out and being yourself, however if you buy sunglasses from this massively popular company, and everyone else buys the same ones, aren't you just blending in by following the crowds?
-Another campaign similar to Ray-Ban's is Vera Bradley's Be Colorful campaign. As you can see in the below picture, it portrays a little girl who stands out from the crowds because she is wearing Vera Bradley and she chose to dress differently. The same idea applies, if everyone is told that by wearing Vera Bradley they will stand out and be different so they all wear it, then they will all just blend in with each other. That is society. No one is their own person. No one stands out.
Right in our own Backyards?
It happens right here in Westfield: everyone wants to fit in, be liked and have friends, so they conform to what society wants them to be. To quote a very accurate Will Smith, "Too many people buy things they don't need with money they don't have to impress people they don't even like". We need to learn that we shouldn't only focus on impressing other people. If you conform to be a person who you are not, then people don't actually like the real you, they like the mask you put on. There is a huge difference between the two, and people need to realize that concept.
Click HERE listen to Good Charlotte's song "The Anthem" It has very transcendental messages of individualism and non-conformity. Good Charlotte was know for this because they were a very unique band, not just another pop sensation. They did not care if everyone liked them, they just made music the way they wanted to. See if you can find any transcendental sounding lines int the song!