The Escape of Romanticism

Romanticism is an admirable philosophy for its appreciation of nature and everyday life and overall simplicity, however, I also believe that a complete embrace of Romanticism can be problematic. Although simplicity can be comforting and even completely necessary at times, it cannot be the primary safeguard to fall back on. It is a temporary escape, but reality must be the priority and not lost.

I appreciate Romantic art and literature and enjoy it from time to time, but overall, I would not classify myself as a Romantic. That is not to say that I do not enjoy spending time in nature or that I have no imagination, I just don't believe that Romanticism fits me and my personality. In my opinion, the most prominent characteristics of Romanticism in art and literature are emotion, inspiration of nature, and power of imagination. I would definitely not classify myself with strong and outward emotions and while I love being in the outdoors, I would not say I have as much of a connection with it as Romantics would claim and my imagination is average, but not over the top.

I think that Romanticism is still alive today, but it exists in very different forms and if often more difficult to identify. Today, much of the Romanticism that people experience comes from the past, but even something as simple as a pure or completely new experience in nature or the creation of a story can be considered Romantic. It is also more difficult today to differentiate between Romantic and romantic. Both words are used almost interchangeably now and I would bet that there is a large number of people that would not know the difference between the two if they were asked. I know that I am taking a provocative stance on Romanticism, but I think that it is important for everyone to be able to express their thoughts, which is kind of ironic since I said that I don't categorize myself with strong emotions, but oh well.