Baloo (from The Jungle Book): Transcendentalism

  

 "Look for the Bare Necessities..."
Baloo is a mellow bear content to live with whatever life gives. But he's more than that. Baloo's a not-so-secret Trascendentalist.
    First, let's establish what Transcendentalism is. This "ism" is defined as a philosophy based upon the doctrine that the principles of reality are to be discovered by the study of the processes of thought, or a philosophy emphasizing the intuitive and spiritual above the empirical. According to Emerson's The Transcendentalist, some of the major characteristics of Transcendentalists include: respect for intuitions, withdrawal from labor and competition, consciousness of the disproportion between a person's faculties and the work provided for them, an appreciation for nature, specifically nature's symbolism, and life in rural settings. 
    Sounding familiar? It should because these Baloo exhibits all of these transcendental qualities. In fact, he sings a song about them. His entire philosophy on life stems from his belief in trusting one's instincts or intuitions. Baloo never works or exerts himself; instead he feels that "the bare necessities of life will come to you".
    Furthermore, Baloo appreciates all that nature supplies him with and views it as his center of reason. In the film, The Jungle Book, Baloo does not want to send Mowgli back to the "man village" even though "logic" and evidence dictate that's where he belongs. Instead, he looks to his instincts and the world around him to develop his own absolute truths.
     Therefore, Baloo is an embodiment of Transcendentalism.