For Emerson and Whitman, nature is much more than the trees that line the street, or even the flowers that sit beautifully in the vase. Both men find deeper harmony and value in nature, in ways very relevant to the transcendental theories each of them express. In “Nature” and “Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson and in “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman, nature can even be viewed from a spiritual perspective. Both men understand nature as a teacher that, when understood in the right perspective, can illuminate the divine order of life and the qualities of the individual. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Emerson discovers essential knowledge in nature; in many ways, nature is a tool for truly understanding life: “All science has one goal, and that is to find a theory of nature” (215). Emerson here suggests that nature holds an ultimate truth. He explains: “We have theories of race and function, but hardly a vague approximation of an idea of ​​creation” (215). Despite everything that science has been able to explain, we still have no explanation for the essence of the creation of life. Nature is the ultimate example of life itself and by learning from nature one can discover the truth about life's big questions. Emerson understands this and asks: "Why should we not have a poetry and a philosophy based on insight and not on tradition, and a religion that is revealed to us and not on their history?" (214). Similarly, as Whitman watches an ox relax in the shade, he wonders, “what/do you express in your eyes?/ It seems to me more than all the prints I have read in my life » (1338). Both Emerson and Whitman support the idea of ​​learning for yourself, and the best way to do this is not to imitate others from the past, but to harness the new thoughts of today that unfold in the very nature that surrounds us. Emerson emphasizes: “Man is timid and apologetic… He dares not say ‘I think,’ I am,’ but cites a saint or a wise man” (278). Critical of this, Emerson uses nature to show that this is not the way people should think to properly participate and progress in life. He explains: “These roses under my window make no reference to old roses or the best; they are for what they are; they exist today with God” (278). Likewise, Whitman insists on “possessing the good of the earth and the sun” (32) and “no longer taking things second or third hand, nor looking through the eyes of the dead” (34- 35). Both men ultimately believe that it is vital for humans to connect to the divine order of the universe found in nature in order to understand their own place in nature and the essential knowledge of life itself. Emerson emphasizes: “He can only be happy and strong if he too lives with nature in the present, above time” (278). A true connection with nature is tied to how one perceives it, for one can only understand the divine order of nature if one can observe and participate in nature with an unbiased perspective. Emerson says: “Few adults can see nature. Most people don't see the sun. At least they have a very superficial vision” (216). Emerson suggests that most people's perspectives are convoluted with preconceived ideas and notions about the world around them. In order to learn from nature, one must be open to experiencing nature in a way that reflects one's.