What Defines Real Scholars (Part 1)

Scholar: A scholar is "a specialist in a particular branch of study, especially the humanities, or a person who is highly educated or has an aptitude for study, or a university student holding a scholarship."

While reading "The American Scholar", a speech and
essay by R.W. Emerson, I felt like some of my own
thoughts/feelings were expressed there. He wrote
that the scholar has three main sources to learn
from:
1. Nature
The scholar sees nature in a superbly holistic way.
He uses all senses and connects to the wisdom of
the ultimate Source of nature while spending some
quiet time there. To connect, to enjoy the sight, the
sounds, the wind, the smells; it is so inspiring and
so much wisdom and thoughts do come to us in
silent reflection in nature
2. Books
He started by going back to the wise man of old
age. They could see, and discovered giant truths
through direct contact with nature and the ultimate
Source of wisdom. We got so enchanted by their
wisdom, and we value what they spoke and wrote
so much, that often we forget to connect ourselves
with the highest Source of wisdom. Scholars
become then not thinkers but parrots of other
people's thought. Surely books are useful for our
dark moments who definitely appear in our life, but
in times of flow, we should write the poetry and
wisdom for the next generations.
3. Action
Scholars often feel they have to isolate themselves
from society, cave in, become like hermits. Not
good! Most of the things we do learn through action
and pure hard experience of life's reality. Reflection
on our actions and our own experience it what
generates wisdom rather than just isolating
ourselves in a cave
Whenever I read Emerson, I feel a sort of
connection with what he wrote more than a century
ago. Of course, whenever we read we read with a
critical mind and not everything Emerson wrote is
equally valuable, but there are many gems of
wisdom in his essays and his poetry.