R.W. Emerson

One of the only things that I liked about high school was a class called "study skills." I don't know that I learned anything about study skills in this class, but I did learn a lot of things. Occasionally the teacher (my father, by chance) would have us write a short essay about a quote that he wrote on the board. Of course, my writing was affected by my father's presence, but it was a great activity. I still like to do it from time to time; writing voluntary essays only proves that I am a English professor's wet dream.

Today I was reading the quotes on my iGoogle page, and there was one by Emerson. I like Ralph. He greatly influenced Thoreau, and he says some amazing things in "The American Scholar." So, when I was this quote by Emerson, I clicked the link to find a few pages of quotes. There I found the one below.

"Give all to love; obey thy heart."

Most people find it difficult to give all of themselves to anything, especially a thing that is as uncertain as love. While the Bible says that "love never fails," I am going to have to disagree. Love does fail. Even God had to look away from Jesus when was on the cross. This is not about my thoughts on Christianity though.

Love does fail. No one is perfect. People sub-consciously realize this. Then, because of this realization they will not give all of their heart, their love to another being. This action keeps people from truly feeling love or what love could be. This self-protection makes sense, considering that I just admitted that love fails. But, does love always fail? Just because it has always failed with me does not mean that it is destined to fail for everyone or forever. Why protect myself from something that might not fail?

The experience of love at its fullest would be worth the pain, would it not. Emerson's "Man Thinking" is also man experiencing. Why block any experience? Why not feel it all? I recently watched Waking Life. One scene in this movie is of two men in a bar. The older man says that people are depressed for one of two reasons: lack of experience or excess of experience. I agree. At least the latter of the two has blissful moments that he can look back on. He can look back and think, "I lived; I was completely alive."

That is what I want from my life. I want to look back and be able to truthfully say, "I lived. I lived passionately. I lived fully; I experienced. I was 'Woman Thinking.'"

I recomment Emerson, by the way.