Thoughts on Romanticism

     During the outside activity in the presentation yesterday, when we were tasked to take a picture of something that fit the romanticism ideals, I struggled to find something.  As I looked around me all I saw was man-made buildings and structures, which to me is what the Romantic thinkers were trying to prevent.  In my opinion, the main concept of Romanticism is that humans are small and inconsequential compared to the vast power and beauty that nature holds.

As a society I believe we have fallen out of Romantic ideology, instead focusing on industrializing and taming the small amount of wilderness that is still left in certain areas.  This was emphasized in a picture I took later that day, showing the massive dorms and dining halls that have been built on campus, rivaling any trees or plant life near it.  And to top this off there are two massive cranes in the background, indicative of the terraforming and massive structures that are underway to expand the campus even further.

During our activity as I looked around, my eyes were eventually drawn upwards towards the sun.  I realized that the sun fits my view of Romanticism perfectly, being so powerful that we can not bare to look at it, yet we still depend on it for warmth, plant growth, and countless other reasons.  As I tested my abilities to stare into the sun, I realized that the trees above me were shielding my eyes, only letting a few beams shine through.  This experience conveyed to me how if the trees were not protecting me at that moment my eyes would burn, and also if the sun was not there I would freeze.  The power of nature was evident, despite how hard we try to harness it.


                    



Comments

  1. williams.dan76March 3, 2026 at 9:41 AM

    Thanks for your comments and observations. Certainly in many ways we have fallen away from romanticism's idealism, though some cultural critics think that the current Selfie Generation is related to a New-Romanticism in the emphasis on individual experience.

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