Nature

I love spending time in nature. It has these magical powers over me that I can't really explain. Whenever I feel like I need to get away or to calm myself down, I just go outside to a quiet place where I can just relax and listen. Lucky for me, the path to " my place" is a not too distant walk down the pleasant canyon behind my house to the small little creek that presents itself so beautifully to all passers-by, which happily, at least for my sake, remain few at this point. The greeness of the place envelops me, an oasis of color that has sprung up out of the usual brown scrub of the mild, sub-desert climate. It invites me to spend time next to the babbling creek, listen to the birds chirp, and smell the sweet air of nature. For a little while, I can relax my mind and just take in what I was meant to be a part of on this Earth, as a creature living among the rest in harmony.


This is why I think nature holds such a power of me and others. We get so caught up in our daily lives and our humanly tasks that we sometimes forget that we too are a part of nature in all of its beauty. Returning to nature compels all of us, because, naturally, we are a part of it, and as a result, we are drawn to it.


Nature, to be enjoyed, must be looked at in the smiplest way possible, because, as humans, we cannot simply begin to understand its true meaning. Emerson states: "The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood." We cannot continue to ask why, and ponder why nature exists, but instead, revel and frolic in it like a child. A child sees nature simply as what it is and does not question what or why. A child soaks it all in, appreciates it in the simplest way, and then proceeds to enjoy it. This, I believe, in accordance with Emerson, is how nature should be enjoyed. Nature is not there for us to conquer it or ignore it, nor will we ever learn all of its secrets or its mysteries. Instead, we should take a moment to step back and take it for what it is: the great mystery and wonder that is the world itself, and how we should be so lucky to be a part of it. Whether it be the smallest seashell on the beach, or the tallest tree in the forest, we should take the time to really appreciate nature so we should not forget to stay connected with the world we live in, because if we did, we would lose the reason for our existence as a species: to be the appreciators of the beautiful world around us.

Friendship

"I am arrived at last in the presence of a man so real and equal that I may drop even those undermost garments of dissimulation, courtesy, and second thought, which men never put off, and may deal with him with the simplicity and wholeness with which one chemical atom meets another."

This quote is striking because in sums of up in just a few words what a true friendship should model itself after: upfront honesty, truth, and complete understanding between friends. I agree with Emerson's idea that friends should treat each other with the utmost respect and honesty with each other, I try to live each and everyone of my days as an Emersonian friend.

That being said, it is extremely difficult to live as an Emersonian type friend because of the differences in each relationship and friendship and how they develop. Every different friendship is different because of the circumstances in which each friendship develops and how society and the enviroment in which the friendship is nutured reacts to it. Every friendship is different, and because of this, there are many different levels of friendship.

As a result, I don't think we as humans are naturally inclined to share our innermost thoughts with a new friend. We must reach a certain level with someone before we can drop all our insecurities and thoughts around them. Because of this, there is a certain limit to our friendships, and we can only attain the highest level of friendship after we reach a certain level of comfort. That is why Emerson's ideal friendship is in fact so ideal. It is ideal because it brings us faith and comfort that when we do in fact reach that level of friendship with a person, we can come out from behind the wall we are hiding behind and show our true selves. We can drop "our undermost garments" and share with someone the truest version of ourselves. That is why the Emersonian ideal is so great. We can share with someone else our greatest burdens and be able to lift the monkeys off our backs without facing any repercussions from society or from judgement. We can live life in its truest, most simple form when in the company of true friendship. This is what drives us to form the friendships that we so desperately seek on a day to day basis. The ultimate feeling of openness and honesty and simplicity.

That being said, it is difficult to always be open and honest with one's friends all the time because of the different situations we face with our friends. For this reason, Emerson's idealistic friendship is tested everyday in the little white lies we tell our friends or the things we tell our parents to get them off our backs. For this reason, in many ways, it is unrealistic to assume that we can ever form a friendship exactly alike to the Emersonian model. But that's not the point. We just need to come close enough.