Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American philosopher born in 1803 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the son of a preacher and a descendant from a long line of ministers.

Destined to follow in the same path as his father and ancestors, he went on to train as a priest and was ordained in 1829. However, after a couple of years within the sect, he began to feel a disconnect from the church. Consequently, he resigned and shortly after ventured to Europe in search of more.

Influenced by his aunt, a self-educated person who studied Plato, Cicero, Marcus Aurelius, Locke, Spinoza, and Shakespeare, among others, Emerson's religious perspective based on nature and literature resonated greatly with him. This is believed to have had a significant influence on his development, drive, and passion towards naturalism and his understanding of the world.

"I am moved by strange sympathies, I say continually I will be a naturalist."

Emerson strongly believed that nature was simply a part of us and that Man and nature are one. Although he was raised and even ordained to the Catholic Church in the past, his beliefs transcended in time and he became a pantheist. A pantheist is someone who believes that God, or a supreme being, is simply the understanding that the divine is within all living things, within all life, within the entirety of the cosmos.

This profound ideology, I believe, is an important aspect in our search for understanding and our search for happiness as it grounds us, connects us all, and gives us a humble yet universally accepted perspective on life. He was an individualist and believed in a deep connection at all levels.

Another profound aspect of his philosophy is that everyone is a uniquely significant human being. He strongly believed in individualization and the pursuit of our own unique and unproven ideas throughout all aspects of life.

"Trust ourselves, be ourselves, integrity of our own mind is the most important thing."

"Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members."

After reading Emerson's perspective on life and education, I found its profound realization that in order to maintain freedom within our own minds, we need to sway from the indoctrination of modern-day education to maintain self-reliance in our ideas, concepts, and beliefs. Otherwise, our drive towards individualism will fail, and we will be destined to live another man's dream.
I found his writing profound, his ideology on life, connection, human pursuits to individualism, and incredible poetry wonderful, and I think he can contribute strongly in the search for happiness.

“What lies behind you, and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside you”

Thanks,

Dean