The dangers of non conformity in relation to the dead poets society

         In a room full of people clad in black a women in white would surely stand out.  such an act is regarded with certain terror in the eyes of most.  Going against the grain may spark a fire .  The members of the dead poet society learned how hot such a fire can burn.  Conformity such as that seen in the film is a perimeter in which the 'ruling power' feels comfortable. Non conformist often become leaders though most rise up from the 'under rule' population.  Neil was such an individual he rose up and followed his passion against the school and the patriarch of his household.    Rising up against what others believe in is a dangerous ambition and sadly often a deadly one.  The private school Neil attended was extremely uniform, from the students matching attire to the almost identical teaching styles of their professors.  Acting out was simply not done in such a school.  When 'Nuanda' acted out he was punished. Corporeally. Such was the punishment for speaking against the authority. 
        Neils burns from the fire were more severe.  Neils passion was that of acting,  a passion that was seen as pointless as a frivolous endeavor.  Neil saw the first spark when his father demanded that Neil cease acting and quit the play.  Well, the heart wants what the heart wants and Neils heart sung with passion and beat wit the rhythm of the stage.  He told his father of his passion and was told that he was to be promptly enrolled into a military academy to become a doctor, to become what his father wanted of him, part of the conformity of the world.  Neil lost much that night when his father plucked him out of school.  Neil had lost that which was him for it was not what the conformist of the world wanted him to be it was not a common shade of gray but a vibrant blue.  When the new English teacher burst forth upon the scene he was a vivid spot of colour amongst the uniform gray staff.  In the end this is why the 'captain' was picked as a scape goat.  the world tends to look upon non conformist and say they are not one of us, and therefore are not as good, conformity is comfortable and safe whereas non conformity is earth shaking, new, eye opening, and to those black and white conformist terrifying.  Those in the school did not see the beauty of non conformity only that it was different and not what they new. When we get stuck in a rut of uniformity we shun that which is new and brilliant.  Such an act ended with a visionary of a man sacked and a promising adolescent dead.  Such is the danger of non conformity in a place of uniformity.

David Bowie: a space oddity, a true transcendentalist

"ground control to major tom.." David Bowie debuted in the musical world with those five words.  David Bowie is a true modern day transcendentalist in my eye.  Most all transcendentalist are misunderstood or shunned at the beginning.  When David Bowie's Space Oddity hit the shelves it spread like wild fire it connected to the excitement coursing in the veins of America as man stepped on the moon.  The rest of the album however man of words/ man of music was to 'out there' for the majority of the population.  Throughout his musical career David Bowie has sung that which is often outside of the box, David Bowie's style was extremely eccentric and remains so to this day.  David Bowie broke through the shell of what music was at the time and did not care if it was not the 'norm' for it was who he was. This is the mark of a true transdentlaist, David Bowie created music in his own image not the image of the rest of the world which took amazing courage. He showed the world that music need not be boring and all one color he threw out the rule book and created music from his heart. There is nothing more transcendental that.  David Bowies lyrics defiantly strayed from the typical track.   The song Rebel Rebel is a testament to such a statement.  I love David Bowies music and a large part of that adoration comes from the fact that he did not adhere to the rules of music at the time he simply did what he wanted to because it was who he was.   David Bowie is a testament to what i hope to be.  I hope that one day i will look back upon my life and think: i followed my heart and was true to me.  David Bowie is a true modern day transcendentalist  who dresses up the way he wants to in concert who writes the lyrics his heart tells him to and he sings the way he wants to because it is who he is.  He is a testament to true transcendentalism.

Walden Pond Essay: How to Simplify Ones Life in the Modern Age

          
          Simplifing ones life in the modern age is often clumped into the same catogory as a five step program, and ceasing your intake of caffine, and throwing your iphone out your bedroom window.  Alas none of this is nesacary, at least  not in such extremes.  Simplifing your life begins with what every other humble goal in ones life begins: the will to change it.  Simplifying ones life in the modern age requires the will to simplify ones life. Simplifying ones life in the modern age is in fact doable, and no it does not require separation from your precious iPhone. In fact simplifying your life comes from you, it comes from within.  You are simplifying your life and in turn your perspective of the world around you.  If you have the will all you have to do is find you, be who you are, relax, and follow your dreams, simplifying your life truly is simplifying you. To have a simple sweet life you need to simplify oneself, this means find out who you are.  This process can take a lifetime for one is always changing.  The act of finding ones self will in itslf have oneself simplifying your life.
            Breathe.  Slow down and breathe.  Take a day and walk in the park with you, your thoughts and the sound of birds flittering through sunlight trees.  Walk amoungst well trodden dirt pathways  and reflect look into a pond and look into you.  "A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is Earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature." (Walden, Henry David Thoreau)  reflecting upon nature leads to reflecting unto oneself which is what brought Henry D. Thoreau to Walden.  Staring into the simplicit beauty one finds te secrets of ones own mind, exploring nature the navigator discovers his own.  What could simplifiy ones life more than reflection in nature and reflection of you.  Shakespear told the world the world is your oyster and Henry D. Throeau tells us to make the oyester included world one of simplistic beauty that reflects the beauty of its creator.

             Create your world in a beautiful image.  The sky is the limit when it comes to your life.  Simplicity is infact not synonamous with boring.  This life is all you have spend it not in a disorginized confusion filled haze, spend it living to the fullest. David Thoreau always said that he went to walden pond because he did not want to die only to find out he had not lived.  This was him living to his fullest live to yours.  "Let us first be as simple and well as Nature ourselves, dispel the clouds which hang over our brows, and take up a little life into our pores. Do not stay to be an overseer of the poor, but endeavor to become one of the worthies of the world." (Walden, Henry David Thoreau)  Do not live through life as a martyer, stare not at the poor, the wrong in your life and sigh with resignment at what is, huff in idignation and step up to make a change.  Take life by the reins soak life up with every pore of your being and endevour to be a king.  This is what H.D. Thoreau preeches to those who read his thaught provocing tales. Be the best one can be, not for your king, nor your mother, or your neighbor, aspire for you.  When you follow your dreams you are following your heart and there  is nothing more simply, purley, you than your heart. 

                              To be simple be who you are.  Aspire and dream for you.  Bend not backwords for others tred forewords so that you can throw them a rope along your path to self fufilment.  Being oneself is an act of true simplicity, it is the pureness it is infact simple personifiend.  For when one is oneself they need not be shroud and occluded in murky fogs of lies and disgueses. "Perfect sincerity and transparency make a great part of beauty, as in dewdrops, lakes, and diamonds." (H.D. Thoreau)  When one is honest and is completly oneself they hold themselves bare for the world and these are those who are the most beautiful.  Be you.  Do not change for another nor besmirch ones name with lies for these will shroud ones true self.  As David Thoreau says the most beautiful diamonds are those which are transparent.  Those with out hidden agendas without self doubts be a diamond in the rough, be you for you no one else and you shall then live in beautiful simplicity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXqhKu30Yd4
                 Simplicity in life is being you, for you.   live life to it fullest soak life in and squeeze out every dop of abrosic nector it has to offer.  Take a moment in this modern age to step back and look, spend a day in the park  in stead of 'catching up with the Cardashians'.  step out of this high tech hollywood world look up at the stars and think of how beautifl the veiw looks not how cumbersome your day might have been.  Look up at the universe and look into you.  No snowflake is alike and yet all are beautiful and all are their own selves like people with their masks pulled back what you see is what you get and nothing is more beautiful.  Take the time to simplifly your life, look at a snowflake, walk through the park and ponder what it means for our life to be simple.  Simplifing your life is simple and is an adventre in its self.   Look up and the night sky and relish the feeling of being incredably small as you stare at the bright lights.  After all, the simplesest things are the most beautiful.