Becoming One With Nature

In this piece, Emerson demonstrates the depth of his feelings regarding the world of nature. He describes his experiences of being alone in the wilderness and attempts to convince his contemporaries to discover the same thing. Since he had many followers and many admirers in his lifetime, I would assume that a certain number would have taken him up on his suggestion. They would not have been sorry, for I am confident they could not help but be infatuated with nature, also. However, Emerson could not care less what people thought of him or of his ideas. He refused to be influenced by the opinions of others.

There would always be a large percentage of the population that seems to need external, superficial stimuli, other than what nature could provide, and these people would come away from their experiences in the woods disappointed. Even in the nineteenth century, there were many diversions to keep people entertained, if they so chose. Nothing to compare with what we know today, of course. Happily though, the very same type of solitude in the wilderness is ours for the claiming, if only we take the time.