Ralph Waldo Emerson

I like Emerson's view of living life rather than following others completely. He explains some rich views of how a person is not what they do. For instance, a person should not be called a "famer" but instead "a person who farms". This makes it so all are equal, and just because they do a particular job that does not define them. He also talks about the individual and becoming self-reliant. I like when he writes, "...but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude" (536). He also writes, "...why should we grope among the dry bones of the past, or put the living generation into masquerade out of its faded wardrobe? The sun shines to-day also" (492).

I totally agree with Emerson's idea of not living in the past, and being okay with making our own worship, work, and laws that flow with today instead of the past. I also think that the older generation as learned sometimes the hard way, and it's important we don't forget that so that we can learn from the past. There is a difference from learning from the past, and not living in the past. For instance, I'm learning from Emerson (a man from the past) and am learning a lot, but that doesn't mean I have to follow his every direction and dwell on how he lived life.