"This is a beautiful book, full of ideas that could help restore America’s genius for freedom and promise.”
— Thomas Moore, New York Times bestselling author of Care of the Soul
A lifelong Emerson lover, teacher, and spiritual seeker reveals how American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson’s twelve essential teachings hold the answer to living an authentic and fulfilling life, one that is in harmony with our souls.
In this wise, illuminating book, award-winning author Mark Matousek reveals how Emerson’s timeless wisdom can help us with the problems we’re facing today. America’s ‘original Stoic’ confronted many of the issues before us, from polarization to fake news, from crooked politicians and rampant materialism, to the scourge of racism.
Matousek explains that Emerson’s path of self-reliance can radically improve your quality of life. The mentor and friend of Henry David Thoreau, Emerson (aka the Oracle of Concord) was America’s first self-help author, and his nation’s conscience for half a century. Like the Stoics before him, he emphasized self-knowledge and mindfulness as paths to happiness; also, self-reliance, cooperation, non-conformity, originality, adaptability, and receptiveness.
As Americans are once again discovering the power of Stoicism, Matousek shows why Emerson’s vision is precisely the medicine we need today. The principles of Waldo’s philosophy are universal and require no spiritual faith to put into practice.
- Each person creates her own reality
- Obstacles are teachers in disguise
- Your character is your destiny
- Wonder and awe are the keys to the kingdom
- Nonconformity is the greatest virtue
- Nature is the doorway to God
- Life without self-knowledge is not worth living
Emerson encourages us to throw-off conventions and platitudes, explore ourselves in depth, tell the truth about what we find there, and awaken to our greatest potential.
A lifelong Emersonian scholar, teacher, and spiritual seeker reveals how American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson's twelve essential teachings hold the answer to living an authentic and fulfilling life, one that is in harmony with our souls.
Known as ?the Original American Stoic,? Ralph Waldo Emerson ushered in a spiritual and moral revolution known as Transcendentalism that profoundly changed and came to define America's distinctive character. A mentor and teacher to Henry David Thoreau, Emerson and his philosophy, outlined in his prized essays, transformed how previous generations of Americans understood their lives. Though he lived in the nineteenth century?a world far removed from our own?Emerson's message is more necessary than ever today, Mark Matousek argues.
As Americans are once again discovering the power of Stoicism, Matousek shows how this ?new-found? attention actually has its roots in Emerson's timeless wisdom. In How Emerson Can Change Your Life he outlines Emerson's thoughts on a variety of topics relevant to our lives today, including:
- On Originality?Character is everything
- On Perspective?You are what you see
- On Non-Conformity?Build your own world
- On Resilience?Without confidence, the world is against you
- On Vitality?A stream of power runs through you
- And more
As Emerson inspired contemporaries in his own time, Matousek now encourages us to throw-off conventions and platitudes that no longer serve a purpose to help us identify our true beliefs and what we stand for. By doing so, we find the means to live a full, rich, and meaningful life.
