Transcendentalism has never failed to shape our society in a positive way. It seems foolish that we should continue to turn a blind eye the various injustices occurring today. Thoreau, Gandhi, and King all spoke against the specific injustices of their time and influenced the decisions that corrected them. It is doing them a disservice to not do the same with our society.

In this time technological renaissance that we are a part of, it will be the way that we maintain and improve upon our civility that will define our generation. Currently the largest civil issue is gay rights. As an African-American I feel personally connected to any discrimination that is being permitted by the government. It is unethical for someone else to be able to tell you that you are wrong for being who you are. This isn’t just some issue that we can pass on to the next generation. Just as I am able to stand tall and confidently say that I’m black, my neighbor should be able to say they are gay just as confidently.

Just as transcendentalism permits you to be yourself, you can defend it in your personal way as well. Just as some of the greatest writers in history have used transcendentalism to correct their social issues, we should use the tools that we have been given to correct ours.

One way to learn about and get involved with the various civil rights issues of out time is to visit www.civilrights.org. This organization is dedicated to informing the public about a vast array of civil rights issues and trying to do something about them.