The notion ocassionally crosses my mind that I have misenterpreted or abused Emerson's proposal to spend a lot of time with one's own thoughts, to look inward for spiritual growth and intellectual guidance rather than filling one's mind with others' writings of their experiences. To have "one's own revelations about life and connection with the truth, rather than trying to emulate the thoughts of past great thinkers." Each individual connection with nature is each individual's most valuable resource for growth.
It is possible that I am constantly harping on the same ideas and never improving my perception of the truth for lack of direction. Just playing word games, unaware that I have no special connection with truth but am stuck in a rut. All the time I spend unraveling my own meanderings and allowing my mind to float around to whatever natural thought occurs I could be spending collecting knowledge from sources that have already withstood the test of time and proven themselves worthy. When is it wise to turn to my own ever changing intuition in regards to questions concerning the truth? Intuition is based on conviction, yet convictions change with time and age; so how reliable of sources are they to enlighten us about the nature of reality?
For this reason, I keep a large stash of fortune cookies in my desk drawer.
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