Only Nature Reveals Our True Colors

Guest Post by Helen Zapata

“. . . all natural objects make a kindred impression, when the mind is open to their influence.”– Nature, Ralph Waldo Emerson.

This is a powerful essay filled with complicated sentences that I had to read over and over again to make sense (and make some justice) to the real meaning behind Emerson’s Nature.

Emerson was in love with nature and for him, we need to truly look at it, observe it, respect it, and acknowledge that nature and humans are the same. Although at times this seemed a little too philosophical for me, I still felt related to this beautifully portrayed subject.

Through every stage that divides this book, Emerson describes nature as the only mirror in which humans should trust, the same one that represents our behavior, personal relationships, and the way we communicate with each other.

There is a chapter regarding language and its links to nature that reminds me of an Intro to Linguistics class, but with a little less theory and a lot more of spirituality. “Language” sums this essay perfectly and makes you really think about the way the earth gives us everything we need to exist, even in the early stages of our lives.

I guess by the time he wrote this essay, grammatical structure and syntax were different than they are now and that definitely adds another layer of complexity. But I also think that the way he built the relationship between men and nature couldn’t be phrased in any other manner.

Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Penguin Books, September 1995.

Reviewer bio: I’m Helen Zapata, a freelance copywriter and editor specialized in independent digital publications.

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