Emerson- The Transparent Eye-Ball

In Emerson’s  Nature, the section describing the “transparent eye-ball” I think is describing a moment Emerson experienced where he witnessed a beautiful sight of physical nature.

One of his first comments states that “all mean egotism vanishes”. I think this comment is talking about how humbling nature can be, reminding you of how small and insignificant you are. I think one of the more strange lines is when he states that he “is a part or particle of God”. I found this curious because it seems he goes from talking about how egotism is gone, yet he makes the bold statement that he is part of God. This seems to contradict his own feelings. But I also think that Emerson could be describing what it feels like to be a part of God-in the way of what God sees. Seeing a beautiful thing of nature, feeling like “this is what being God must feel life, looking at His creation.”

When reading this work by Emerson, I was reminded of a similar experience I felt like I once had. About three years ago I took a trip to Yosemite, and I hiked to Sentential Dome. It was a simple hike that was enjoyable, but once I reached the top of the dome, the view changed my life. The view encompassed basically all of the main scenes that Yosemite offers, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, and El Capitan. I sat down on the rocks taking in the view and almost could not comprehend how amazing the view was. I very much felt like Emerson, in that is was an almost out of body experience that could not compare to anything else. When he states that “the name of the nearest friend sounds then foreign” I feel like is Emerson describing how engulfed you can be in a scene, and I very much felt that way. It was like nothing else was really present, just me and this moment. Other people and voices were just muffled while the sounds of wind was all that was present. I think about this place and moment frequently, and always want to go back to that feeling of being completely present in nature and seeing the works of God.

Below I actually included the photo I took from this spot. Pictures never do it justice.