American culture and traditions have been evolving over several hundreds of years. Although there are different cultures around the world, America has been known to be the central “melting pot” for several of decades. American culture and traditions have been adopted by so many other cultures that it is now the norm for those outside of American culture. These same cultures are introducing similar American traditions and customs to their families. One question that we must ask ourselves is “What is culture?” Culture consists of religion, clothing, food, language, morals, values, etc. Culture is the reason why we do the things we do today. These same cultures has taught individuals how to maneuver through life so that those same customs can be handed down to the next generations to come.
Transcendentalists
What is transcendentalism? According to Transcendentalism, An American Philosophy, Transcendentalism is a formal word that simply describes a very simple idea. A transcendentalist is a person who accepts ideas not as religious beliefs, but as a way of understanding life relationships. People of this tradition are considered to “free-thinkers”. When discussing “free-thinkers”, let’s think of a mind beyond simple thinking. These people believed that there was life beyond the simple traditions and ways of culture. According to The Simple Life, these young Americans were not moved by dreams of material success but, by “ideas, by principles by the conception of a better state of society” (Pg. 125). These particular individuals were ones that thought outside the box. They were enthused with the fact that individuals could seek success by elevating and expanding within themselves so they could see a different perspective of life and the potential success that could follow behind it.
Transcendentalists believed in a various amount of core values to life. However, their three essential values were individualism, idealism, and divinity of nature. These values taught them how to search within themselves and find their divine purpose. According to The Simple Life, transcendentalists felt as though “life was too precious to waste on the mere pursuit and enjoyment of things, but their common goal was to develop modes of living that reduced their material needs to a minimum”(Pg. 127). This concept is very beneficial because sometimes in life humans get caught up in the material things that are offered rather than things that are important. It is also beneficial because it can be used in today’s modern society. Instead of trying to live a life to satisfy things our flesh desires, we should pour individualism and idealism in there heighten our horizons to a different dimension.
Progressives
The progressive era was known to be a time where Americans felt as though the only way to prevent social injustices such as poverty, violence, racism, etc. from happening, was to promote good education, good jobs, and a safe environment. Progressives in this time era had to deal with the many changes that was going on in the world. Many people started to see that it was important to push social justice in order to help push a simple life. According to The Simple Life, progressives considered a simple life to be an “a wish to advance, but a higher, nobler stage of civilized living” (Pg. 176). Progressives lived in a time where there were resources available to help promote success during this time. During this era, there were individuals who stepped in hoping to change the way things were going to help push a simpler, yet higher lifestyle. For example, Theodore Roosevelt reigned as president during this era. His main focus was to make sure that Americans were expressing their right to vote, fighting against violent crimes, and also giving Americans the voice that was never valued. In result, this taught individuals of this time to learn to live a simple life, but also exercise your rights while doing so.
During this time period, progressives were eager to learn how to relax and at the same time, engage in forms of constructive recreation and social service. For example, growing professionals such as doctors, lawyers, professors, teachers, etc. embraced the fact that living a simple life was therapeutic in a way. They were able to take their talents and use it help fight social injustices whether it was in the courtroom or in the classroom teaching civics and economics. Progressives embraced the fact that simple living would eventually provide a relief from the complexity of modern living during this era. It was not only seen as a time to reform, but also a time to find themselves. They were able to find out ways they could help promote simple living, but in a way that everyone around them could benefit.
Acts of the progressives are also mirrored in today’s society as we take on the hunger to live not in fear, but as though we can conquer the world. Every day that we enter our respective careers, we are building towards living a noble, yet simple life. We take out the time to get the proper education, we fight for social injustices that are still present in today’s society, and we also work for corporations and organizations that are providing financial opportunities. It is very important as young professionals to gain knowledge about this specific time era because in reality, progressives really paved the way. If it wasn’t for this time era, Americans would not have the voice that we are granted today. Professions, jobs, and education would not be a prominent as it is today, and most importantly, the way we spend our money is totally different. To grasp on to the mindset of progressives can be challenging in today’s society, but being able to take those same talents and dedication, shows that Americans can still live a nice life, but also live it as simple as we can. In The Simple Life, Edward Bok, an American editor, states “we can never make simple life, but we can make a simpler life than we do”. (Pg. 214.) This particular quote stands out because it teaches us within professional careers, it is acceptable to live a life of luxury or to have those “finer” things in life, but we can also live a life that is more manageable to handle. Who wants to live a life where we don’t know what our next move will be? How will we survive? How will we finish what we started in life?
In conclusion, acts of the progressives and transcendentalists really exemplify the ideas and actions of becoming a successful business professional, more importantly how to uphold yourself as a leader in an organization. Being knowledgeable about what’s going on in today’s society, but also being able to take a grasp of life and really find what’s within can really help those who are aspiring to be leader within their respective careers. Transcendentalists taught us to be free-thinkers, to come up with idealistic concepts to life, and also to use nature to our advantage. Progressives taught us to be well educated; to know what is going on in the world around us. They also taught us how to use our talents in the world to help out others who may be in need. Each respective group teaches a valuable lesson that can be carried with us for eternity. Although each group did not get the concept of “life” on its first try, they went through many failures and successes that made them, as well as society what it is today. To become successful, we must grasp hold of the bigger picture at hand, living a simple life. A simple life could consist of being a CEO of an organization, or being a stay at home parent for your kids. No matter what it may be, it should always be known that young professionals has what it takes to be a leader no matter race or gender. As long as it is evident that we live our lives as simple as we can without making it hard on ourselves to be the best we can be.
References
“Transcendentalism, An American Philosophy.” Ushistory.org, Independence Hall Association, www.ushistory.org/us/26f.asp.
The Progressive Era (1890 – 1920), www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/teachinger/glossary/progressive-era.cfm.
Shi, David E. The Simple Life Plain Living and High Thinking in American Culture. The University of Georgia Press, 2007.
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