Emerson- "Nature"

http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/emerson/nature-emerson-a.html

"To speak truly, few adult persons can see nature. Most persons do not see the sun. At least they have a very superficial seeing. The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child. The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood. His intercourse with heaven and earth, becomes part of his daily food. In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrows. Nature says, -- he is my creature, and maugre all his impertinent griefs, he shall be glad with me. Not the sun or the summer alone, but every hour and season yields its tribute of delight; for every hour and change corresponds to and authorizes a different state of the mind, from breathless noon to grimmest midnight. Nature is a setting that fits equally well a comic or a mourning piece. In good health, the air is a cordial of incredible virtue. Crossing a bare common, in snow puddles, at twilight, under a clouded sky, without having in my thoughts any occurrence of special good fortune, I have enjoyed a perfect exhilaration. I am glad to the brink of fear. In the woods too, a man casts off his years, as the snake his slough, and at what period soever of life, is always a child. In the woods, is perpetual youth. Within these plantations of God, a decorum and sanctity reign, a perennial festival is dressed, and the guest sees not how he should tire of them in a thousand years. In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life, -- no disgrace, no calamity, (leaving me my eyes,) which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare ground, -- my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space, -- all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God. The name of the nearest friend sounds then foreign and accidental: to be brothers, to be acquaintances, -- master or servant, is then a trifle and a disturbance. I am the lover of uncontained and immortal beauty. In the wilderness, I find something more dear and connate than in streets or villages. In the tranquil landscape, and especially in the distant line of the horizon, man beholds somewhat as beautiful as his own nature.
The greatest delight which the fields and woods minister, is the suggestion of an occult relation between man and the vegetable. I am not alone and unacknowledged. They nod to me, and I to them. The waving of the boughs in the storm, is new to me and old. It takes me by surprise, and yet is not unknown. Its effect is like that of a higher thought or a better emotion coming over me, when I deemed I was thinking justly or doing right."

Reflection
When people grow up, they lose their innocence and therefore lose the ability to enjoy nature as they once did. They no longer have time to relax and spend time in nature because they are too busy with every day distractions. When Emerson mentions the relation between "man and the vegetable," I realize that in nature, there really is no difference. The land is so tranquil that everything is still and people should be able to let go of their thoughts and become a vegetable. In nature one should be able to let go of reality and get in tune with their inner self. I agree with his statement "The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other" because it is nearly impossible to enjoy nature if one is troubled. Although, if one is troubled, they should spend time in nature in order to release their stresses.

Dear Diary,
This selection written by Ralph Emerson, reinforces my opinion that nature is important in one's every day life. The temperature controls what you wear, the weather determines how you spend your day, and the landscape affects your emotions. After having a stressful day, one can go outside and the land will relieve the stress. Nature has a calming affect that takes away all feeling of reality. Although, as we get older we look at nature in a more analytical sense than we did as little kids. I empathize with Emerson's statement of "In the wilderness, I find something more dear and connate than in streets or villages." In villages, the buildings are man made, but in nature everything is natural and as it should be. People are flawed, therefore cities are flawed, but in nature, flowers grow wild and rivers are sporadically placed. No one can control the landscape. Everything is in its rightful place. The fact that no one can control landscapes should relieve many that feel they need to be in charge of everything. Spending time in nature gives one a reason to relax and let go of tension. As long as people respect the land, it can take care of itself which gives nature a human-like quality.