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Emerson's Definition of Experience

Topics: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Individualism, Meaning of life Pages: 2 (405 words) Published: May 17, 2005
The true meaning of life based on experiences… What is it? This is a question which many people dedicate their lives into answering. Ralph Waldo Emerson is one of the few who has succeeded in answering this question. He weaved his answer into a long and tedious essay, which is called "Experience". The only downfall from this work is that it's solely from his perspective, and doesn't include other people's ideas as well as his.

Emerson believes that people don't possess the individualistic quality. Everyone is too focused on the actions and opinions of everyone else, and should take a more personal stance for once. We mimic people too much because we believe that we will benefit if we're the same as the majority. We are all individuals and have our own opinions, and we should embrace them!

Emerson also believes that people are multiform, and therefore have trouble uniting as one society. However, he explains how deep down everyone has a background of unity, and really want to unite as one. This is another reason why some people try to copy others. We figure that if we are all the same, we will be united. However, this is not the case, because our opinions and beliefs get in the way. We have a universal desire to believe, and because of this strong impulse, we yearn to move forward. We crave to be able to waltz up the stairs, and get closer and closer to our dreams.

People gain intelligence and knowledge through what they experience. They gain valuable life skills by actually witnessing events first hand. If society were only to learn out of a textbook, everyone would be boring and completely one-sided. Our experiences help to shape our ‘clay of identity'. Instead of hiding from horrible experiences, we should try to learn from them, and incorporate the morals into our daily lives.

Ralph Waldo Emerson's writing style is very deep and profound, and answered the question of what the definition of experience is. Everyone should live life by being...
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