Transcendentalism

 Hello readers! This blog is written as a part of the thinking activity assigned by Megha ma'am department of English, MKBU. In this blog I am going to write about Transcendentalism. In this blog I am going to relate the movie "Eat, Pray, Love" with the 19th century American movement Transcendentalism.

What is Transcendentalism?

According to Merriam Webster:

"A philosophy that asserts the primacy of the spiritual and transcendental over the material and empirical."

Transcendentalism is a philosophy started in the early 19th century that promotes intuitive, spiritual thinking instead of scientific thinking based on material things. Transcendentalism comes from the Latin word transcendere, which means to "climb over or beyond." Founders of the American transcendentalism movement were indeed trying to "climb beyond" traditional empirical thinking, favoring instead a person's intuition and natural spirituality. Ralph Waldo Emerson, a famous transcendentalist, summed up the beliefs of transcendentalism when he said, "What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

The transcendentalism movement arose as a result of a reaction to Unitarianism as well as the Age of Reason. Both centered on reason as the main source of knowledge, but transcendentalists rejected that notion. Some of Transcendentalist beliefs that -  

• Humans are inherently good
• Society and its institutions such as organized religion and politics are corrupting. Instead of being part of them, humans should strive to be independent and self-reliant
• Spirituality should come from the self, not organized religion
• Insight and experience are more important than logic
• Nature is beautiful, should be deeply appreciated, and shouldn’t be altered by humans

Transcendentalism is centered around Ralph Waldo Emerson. Other important transcendentalists were Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, Lydia Maria Child, Amos Bronson Alcott, Frederic Henry Hedge, Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, and Theodore Parker.

Eat Pray Love:

Director: Ryan Murphy

Based on Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Producer: Dede Gardner

Starring:

•  Julia Roberts
•  James Franco
•  Richard Jenkins
• Viola Davis
• Billy Crudup
• Javier Bardem

Here i would like to share the trailer of the movie "Eat Pray Love".

Eat Pray Love is a 2010 American biographical romantic drama film starring Julia Roberts as Elizabeth Gilbert. Ryan Murphy co-wrote and directed the film, which was released in the United States on August 13, 2010. The movie is based on the bestselling memoir of the same name by Elizabeth Gilbert. The film tells the story of Gilbert's journey of self-discovery and healing as she embarks on a year-long journey to Italy, India, and Bali, where she learns to appreciate the simple pleasures of life, and finds love and inner peace.The movie, like its title, is decided into three parts along with the journey of the protagonist Elizabeth. She in the initial part of the movie is too foody, then she turns to pray - Spirituality and the story is being resolved by love. 

The movie is considered a "transcendental" film because it explores themes of spiritual growth and self-discovery. Gilbert's journey is a personal one, as she struggles with a difficult divorce and a sense of unhappiness and lack of fulfillment in her life. She decides to take a year off and travel to different parts of the world, where she learns to find joy in the present moment, appreciate the beauty of the natural world, and connect with her inner self. The movie talks about the concept of Transcendentalism in many ways. She comes to India in pursuit of peace. 

She spent her entire year traveling to find her inner self and purpose through the emotions and experiences learned along her journey. She left her hometown in the United States to be intellectually alone and to explore the meaning of herself. Along the way she tried to maintain spiritual discipline and balance between her, God, and the world. The places she visited and the people she communicated with helped her learn to find her true self. Throughout her immersing journey, the actions and thoughts Gilbert dealt with have considered her to be a transcendentalist and individualistic person. On the night of her last encounter with Depression and Loneliness, she had the courage to write to herself in her journal, “There’s nothing you can ever do to lose my love. I will protect you until you die, and after your death I will still protect you. I am stronger than Depression and I am braver than Loneliness and nothing will ever exhaust me.” She slowly became an individualist, nonconforming to the impressions of her and people around her. She was guiding herself - through meditation and prayer - on what she believed was true, and had said, “I can only say how I feel now - grateful to be on my own.”

The male protagonist is from the very beginning in search of happiness. She shows moral fiber by leaving such a dreamboat for India, where her quest involves discipline in meditation, for which she allotted three months rather than the recommended lifetime. There she meets a tall, bearded, bespectacled older Texan Richard Jenkins who is without question the most interesting and attractive man in the movie, and like all of the others seems innocent of lust. 

The film's portrayal of different cultures and traditions is also noteworthy. Gilbert's time in India is particularly impactful, as she learns about the spiritual practices of yoga and meditation, and finds solace in the teachings of her guru. The film also explores the theme of love and relationships, as Gilbert eventually finds a new partner in Bali.

In Bali she revisits her beloved adviser Ketut Liyer (Hadi Subiyanto), who is a master of truisms known to us all. Although he connects her with a healer who can mend a nasty cut with a leaf applied for a few hours, his own skills seem limited to the divinations anyone could make after looking at her, and telling her things about herself after she has already revealed them. Now she has found Balance, and begins to dance on the high wire of her life. She meets Felipe (Javier Bardem), another divorced exile, who is handsome, charming, tactful, forgiving and a good kisser. He explains that he lives in Bali because his business is import-export, "which you can do anywhere" although later, he explains she must move to Bali because "I live in Bali because my business is here." They've both forgotten what he said earlier. "Unless perhaps you can do import-export anywhere, but you can only import and export from Bali when you live there. That would certainly be my alibi."

So this movie is about Liz Gilbert. About her quest, her ambition, her good luck in finding only nice men, including the ones she dumps. She funds her entire trip, including scenic accommodations, ashram, medicine man, guru, spa fees and wardrobe, on her advance to write this book. As a matter of fact, shown in the Eat Pray Love film, Gilbert was portrayed as a transcendentalist. She did not conform to what others thought of her. She was self-reliant by believing in only herself and what she wanted to accomplish rather than succumbing to other people's opinions of her.

The Eat Pray Love ending wraps up with Elizabeth in Bali, deciding to be in a relationship with a man named Felipe. Though Elizabeth didn’t begin her journey searching for love, she was grateful for everything she’d found. The property search brought her and Felipe closer, and she was falling more in love with him. Felipe joked about enjoying his mundane life before he met Gilbert. There were so many things about Felipe that Gilbert loved. He was a nurturer and had this way of making her feel like the center of his universe. She could tell he enjoyed having someone to care for, which was different from her previous relationships. 

In conclusion we can say that "Eat, Pray, Love" is a thought-provoking and uplifting film that encourages viewers to take a step back from their busy lives and focus on their own personal growth and happiness. Its themes of self-discovery, spiritual growth, and appreciation for different cultures and traditions make it a transcendental movie experience

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Words - 1,355

Images - 6

Video - 1