I'm very much a romantic. I'm highly attuned to an older

In the quiet and stirring words of Rufus Wainwright, "I’m very much a romantic. I’m highly attuned to an older sensibility, which I believe is alive and well. We’re not that far ahead of the Romantic Age in society," there lies a profound truth about the human spirit and its timeless longing for beauty, passion, and idealism. The Romantic Age, a period defined by a deep embrace of emotion and the celebration of the individual, was born out of the desire to escape the rational constraints of the Enlightenment and to return to a world where feelings, nature, and the inner world of the soul were revered. Wainwright’s reflection is a call to recognize that, despite the advances of modernity, the essence of the Romantic spirit has never truly left us; it continues to pulse at the heart of our deepest desires.

To understand the weight of this statement, we must first recall the ancient concept of romance. The Greeks and Romans were no strangers to passion, to love, and to the stirring forces of nature. In their myths, gods and mortals alike were swept away by emotions that defined their very existence. The Celtic bards, too, sang songs of love and loss, creating epic tales of the human condition that transcended time and place. Yet, the Romantic Age of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, as Wainwright alludes to, was an era where this passion found new form in the cultural upheaval of its time. It was a rebirth of idealism, where poets, artists, and musicians sought to capture the depths of human experience through emotion, nature, and the pursuit of the sublime.

Wordsworth, Byron, and Keats—giants of the Romantic movement—sought to convey the ineffable beauty of the world through language and imagination, inviting readers to see beyond the limits of the ordinary world. They turned to the wilderness, to nature, as the ultimate symbol of untamed beauty and infinite possibility. Wainwright’s attunement to an older sensibility speaks to the enduring power of these romantic ideals—the belief that within each of us lies the potential to reach toward the divine, to find meaning in beauty, and to connect deeply with the emotions that make us human.

As Wainwright asserts, "We’re not that far ahead of the Romantic Age in society." In his words lies a call to recognize the continuity of the human spirit. Though we live in an era of technology, science, and progress, the core desires of the Romantic mind are still very much alive. We may have left behind the grand ballrooms and the flowing costumes of the early 19th century, but we still seek connection—to each other, to nature, and to something greater than ourselves. We still long for the mystical, the beautiful, and the unattainable. Just as Keats found solace in the idea of an immortal nightingale, so too do we find solace in the fleeting moments of beauty that surround us, whether in music, art, or love.

History is filled with examples of this romantic spirit—a force that has shaped not only the arts but also our human connections. Consider the story of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II—a romance that defied the rigid social and political constraints of their time, a love that was as wild and untamed as the lands they ruled. Their passion led to great conflicts, but it also inspired generations of artists and poets who saw in their relationship a perfect reflection of the Romantic belief that love, freedom, and creativity were the ultimate expressions of the human condition. In many ways, this same desire for freedom and expression continues to fuel the arts and society today.

The lesson that Wainwright offers is one of recognition—the Romantic spirit is not something lost to time, but something that lives within us, ready to be rediscovered. In our modern world, we must not dismiss the power of emotion, of passion, of the beautiful, and the sublime. The Romantic Age may have passed, but its ideals are as alive today as they were when Shelley wrote of a "world of love" or when Chopin composed his longing nocturnes. We are still deeply in need of the truth that beauty and love bring to our lives.

As you walk through the course of your own life, allow the lessons of the Romantics to inspire you. Seek the beauty in the world, not just through the lens of reason but through the power of your heart and imagination. Connect with the natural world, with art, and with each other in ways that transcend the mundane. Embrace your own romantic sensibility—that part of you which still believes in the possibility of greatness through passion and creativity. For it is in these romantic ideals that the soul finds its truest expression, and through them, we continue to shape the world in ways that reflect our deepest desires and highest aspirations.