Transcendentalism Today
"Live Your Life" by T.I. feat. Rihanna:
“Live your Life” by T.I. featuring Rihanna embodies transcendental principles through its encouragement of self- acceptance and rejection of comparing. "Stop lookin at what you ain't got/ Start bein thankful for what you do got" Transcendentalists believe that people should be content with what they have and not keep wanting more. Thoreau says in the conclusion of Walden, "Love your life, poor as it is." T.I. is saying a similar thing by saying that people should not wish for more than they have. "Unhappy with the riches cause you're piss poor morally." Another important transcendentalist idea that you need to live without all the material things in order to be happy. T.I. is saying that so many people that have everything are not happy because they do not have the morals to be happy. Transcendentalists say that you must strip away all the material things in order to listen to yourself and be happy. "The life, my life/ I do it how I wanna do." Transcendentalists believe that you have to play by your own rules and listen to yourself. They think that God can be found within you so you should listen to what you want. Rihanna in her section of the song says that she is going to live her life how she wants to. This means that she will listen to herself and live the way she would like to live.
“Live your Life” by T.I. featuring Rihanna embodies transcendental principles through its encouragement of self- acceptance and rejection of comparing. "Stop lookin at what you ain't got/ Start bein thankful for what you do got" Transcendentalists believe that people should be content with what they have and not keep wanting more. Thoreau says in the conclusion of Walden, "Love your life, poor as it is." T.I. is saying a similar thing by saying that people should not wish for more than they have. "Unhappy with the riches cause you're piss poor morally." Another important transcendentalist idea that you need to live without all the material things in order to be happy. T.I. is saying that so many people that have everything are not happy because they do not have the morals to be happy. Transcendentalists say that you must strip away all the material things in order to listen to yourself and be happy. "The life, my life/ I do it how I wanna do." Transcendentalists believe that you have to play by your own rules and listen to yourself. They think that God can be found within you so you should listen to what you want. Rihanna in her section of the song says that she is going to live her life how she wants to. This means that she will listen to herself and live the way she would like to live.
"Live Like We're Dying" by Kris Allen:
“Live like We’re Dying” embodies the transcendental principles through its message to never take anything for granted and to always live life to the fullest. “How come we don't say I love you enough?'Til it's too late, it's not too late.” These lines suggest that we take our love ones for granted until they are no longer present. It criticizes our disregard to appreciate our family and friends while they are active in our lives. It suggests that we should appreciate everyone we have now so we don’t regret it later, it is never too late. “We only got 86 400 seconds in a day to/Turn it all around or to throw it all away.” These lines suggest that we only have a short amount of time to live. It suggests that we have the power to change our lives every day whether we want to live it to the fullest or waste it. It connects to Thoreau’s claims to “Love your life, as poor as it is.” We should enjoy each and every second of our life because life is short and we should not waste it finding faults but instead looking at the brighter side. “Our hearts are hungry for a food that won't come/And we could make a feast from these crumbs.” These lines suggest that we are always searching for a better life than our own. It criticizes our need to envy other’s lives instead of focusing on our own. Instead we should make the best out of our own lives. It connects to Thoreau’s claims that the “mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation” but we have the advantage to create our own destiny and change our own lives.
“Live like We’re Dying” embodies the transcendental principles through its message to never take anything for granted and to always live life to the fullest. “How come we don't say I love you enough?'Til it's too late, it's not too late.” These lines suggest that we take our love ones for granted until they are no longer present. It criticizes our disregard to appreciate our family and friends while they are active in our lives. It suggests that we should appreciate everyone we have now so we don’t regret it later, it is never too late. “We only got 86 400 seconds in a day to/Turn it all around or to throw it all away.” These lines suggest that we only have a short amount of time to live. It suggests that we have the power to change our lives every day whether we want to live it to the fullest or waste it. It connects to Thoreau’s claims to “Love your life, as poor as it is.” We should enjoy each and every second of our life because life is short and we should not waste it finding faults but instead looking at the brighter side. “Our hearts are hungry for a food that won't come/And we could make a feast from these crumbs.” These lines suggest that we are always searching for a better life than our own. It criticizes our need to envy other’s lives instead of focusing on our own. Instead we should make the best out of our own lives. It connects to Thoreau’s claims that the “mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation” but we have the advantage to create our own destiny and change our own lives.