Journal #21

Emerson's quotation covers a very mature matter. My initial reaction reminds me of the stage in life where you are finally figuring out the truth of the world. That the clouds are not made of cotton candy and life is not always great and dandy and sweet as candy. The reality is, life is not perfect and neither are you. People are going to let you down and there is nothing you can do about it. Even the person you look up to the most will one day disappoint you. They are not perfect either, despite what you think. This quotation reminds you to be your own person, separate from others. Relying on other people is weakness. That is basically what this is implying. I do not believe this is always the case, but I do agree that people disappoint. Especially in today's society where we have such high standards for each other. This quotation also focuses on the importance of individuality. It says "imitation is suicide". I like this part of the quote because it is very blunt and does not beat around the bush. I feel like this is something that is definitely applicable to our society today. Everyone feels like they have to look and act a certain way in order to be accepted. When really, you were made an original for a reason and if you try to be like everyone else, you always fall short. An original is much more valuable than a copy. This reminds me of another quote I have heard before, but I do not remember who the author is. It talks about being yourself, everyone else is already taken. From this, I also got the idea that good things only come through hard work. This is explained in the part about the kernel of corn. Overall, I have learned so far that Emerson is very supportive of self-morals, hard work, and self-reliance. All of these fitting the characteristics of Romanticism.