Ralph Waldo Emerson is a guy who had a lot of ideas. He was a philosopher, maybe a believer, and a lover of nature. He was a Transcendentalist.
Let's look at his lecture/writing entitle "Nature." I really want to focus on his eyeball analogy though.
He says "...all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eye-ball. I am nothing. I see all. The currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God."
All mean egotism vanishes. I believe he's saying something along the lines of "nature is so large, we are just one part of the larger picture." Next, he says "I become a transparent eye-ball." The transparent eye-ball means that he believes that being in nature, truly in and a part of nature, means that you are entirely open and transparent with nature (which includes with people).
The "I am nothing" part may refer to the idea that nothing we do will ultimately change nature (in the sense Ralph Waldo Emerson talks about it). "I see all" may refer to the idea that: if you are truly being a part of nature, you will be able to see the big picture of what's going on, not just what's happening in your immediate surroundings.
Now we are getting to the main part I want to talk about. "The currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God." This may sound like he's saying he is God to some people. You see, I don't believe that at all. I believe he is referring to the fact that we are made in God's image. We are made in God's image. God made everything. We are a part of God's creation. That's what I believe he is referring to with this.
Another thing I believe he's referring to with this statement is that no matter what we do, the outcome of nature will be the same in the end. But, by nature, I think he could be talking about the ultimate end of the world as we know it. I mean this as God's plan will come to pass whether we want it to or not. Whether we believe in Him or not, His plan will come to pass.
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