The Trancendentalists is the most thought-provoking set of writings we have studied. Our class may be behind due to our deep conversations, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I have had a few thoughts stem from their writings, mostly from Thoreau's "Walden", which we read a section of in class. The first idea I thought about was that only by being alone can you truly think to yourself, understand yourself, and learn from yourself. The next idea I will write about is that technological progress is a feedback loop that is completely unnecessary to having a good life. The final idea I thought about is that measuring human qualities against other humans is not the barometer of one person's success or superiority.

"Walden" is the account of Thoreau's seclusion in a Spartan cabin for multiple years in the countryside. One of the defining reasons he chose to do this was that "[he] never found the companion that was as companionable as solitude." (pg 4) Thoreau, like many, thinks that the best time to think is when one is alone, when one can think with few distractions. He mentions "learn[ing] what it [Walden] had to teach" in the opening chapter. Learning from nature and yourself is something that the Transcendentalists and Unitarians would endorse. In fact, one of the basic ideas of Transcendentalism is that self-knowledge is the key to all knowledge. I'm sure that Thoreau had few distractions at Walden for learning hisself, but our modern society is full of them. I find time to think alone before going to bed, on the bus, and when I deliver the Shopper. It's not quite dropping everything to think as he did, but it's the best that I can do.

Thoreau was not a big fan of unnecessary technology. One of the reasons Walden became his home was that affairs were simpler here. All the latest and greatest in high technology was, to him, "an unwieldy and overgrown establishment." He then suggests that "the cure for it is... a Spartan simplicity of life." (pg.3) He mentions the railroads, the bleeding-edge of technology back then, as one piece of technology that is a positive feedback loop with negative consequences. When people use the railroad, it increases demand. Demand creates additional lines and more engines. Soon, new ways of transport altogether are created. We keep relying too much on something, whether it be railroads or GPS satellites, and if it fails then we are up a creek without a paddle. I am sure that if Thoreau saw smallpox eradicated, vaccines, and several other innovations that save lives he would definitely support them. He just prefers simplicity in life, where "an honest man has no need to count more than his ten fingers." Self-reliance was an idea he is all for, while technology makes it harder and harder to be self-reliant.

Equally hard is to avoid being judged or judging. Who doesn't want to be the brightest, fastest, strongest, the best? The most common way of judging is to use somebody else as a comparison. Thoreau disagrees, saying that "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he marches to the beat of a different drummer." (pg 6) I'm sure that Thoreau would object to standardized tests being used for college entrance exams and school funding, as they mainly measure how good you are at standardized tests. The same could be said of most tests. Tests may not show your rankings against other students, but some, like the PSAT, are competitions for scholarships. The NFL Scouting Combine is a competition to look good in front of professional coaches so you may be picked for a team. Those are two of many competitions designed as tests. Tests measure a microscopic few assets that any person may have, not the person as a whole. Thoreau says it well in his conclusion to Walden; "Shall a man go and hang himself because he belongs to the race of pygmies, and not try to become the biggest pygmy that he can?" If you are caught up in comparisons, you will find it hard to know yourself.

Thoreau and the Transcendentalists' writings have inspired many, from Gandhi to Martin Luther King, Jr. and aren't likely to stop inspiring people any time soon. They are very good at making you think about the tough questions that everyone must answer for themselves. I was inspired to think about many things by them, and wrote about three of them here. By being by yourself, you can truly think, but you don't quite have to seclude yourself for years. Next, I agreed with Thoreau that technology can be an impediment to good society, so far as that society is best when simple and technology increases the complexity of society. Finally, I wrote that comparing any person to another is not a good thing.