Henry David Thoreau’s search for Truth, the “marrow of life,” is a Transcendental search, which means that he expects that such Truth will lie behind (or transcend) the material world. His hope is that by stripping away the distractions of the “real” world – as epitomized by the desire for wealth, power and influence and institutionalized in the State and the Church – then he will become closer to this Truth, sometimes called the Oversoul. Interestingly, this is Ahab’s quest as well, but he approaches the issue from the perspective of rage and hatred. Read from Walden (p.820-822), as well as “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer” (p.1295).
These two clips from The Matrix illustrate the degree to which the question of being “awake” is still timely.
Mark Doty: “A Display of Mackerel“
