Douglas Adams once said “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” This quote resembles the idea that is illustrated throughout Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay Self-Reliance. Many people believe that we need to plan out their own life, but God lays out your life in his own unique way. Emerson uses many different types of aphorisms throughout the essay to express how we need to fulfill our own life. He also expresses that we should follow God’s path toward what he wants them to show within their lives. My philosophical values are congruent with Ralph Waldo Emerson’s. Emerson reminds us to stay true to ourselves, avoiding conforming to societies’ expectations, and ultimately listening to our own inner voice. “The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried” (p.369). Emerson reminds his audience to follow their instinct. He expresses his desire for each of us to trust in our own inner ability to choose what is best for us. Trust yourself! Don’t conform what society wants you to be. He reminds us that no matter what society tells us …show more content…
He wants us to trust our inner drives and be honest with the relationships that come within our life experiences. Personally, I agree with Emerson’s philosophy on life. In a world where there is so much emphasis on social acceptance I personally feel ones real value should come from deep within relying on their personal relationship with God. Emerson is very effective in presenting his argument by his word choice, his use of figurative language, and his many references back to God and society. Society today happens to be the same kind of idea. We look at what society tells you to be instead of focusing on our own self which is the most important part of what God tells you to
b: Society’s main purpose is to create conformity and sameness. c: They ought to not care but instead be happy with who they are themselves; others opinions do not matter 2. Key Ideas and Details (a) Interpret: According to Emerson, what role does the “divine” have in determining each person’s circumstances? (b)
When Emerson states," The soul always hears an admonition in such lines, let the subject be what it may" he wants the reader to think about
One of the primary issues that Emerson tried to convey was that one must follow what they believe is true for themselves and not listen to what other people think. He states, “It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps perfect sweetness the independence of solitude(Emerson 151).” One of the definitions of the word “world” is “human society.” The word “opinion” means “a view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter.” By putting these words together, Emerson is implying that the “world’s opinion” is the general point of view accepted by most of society. Emerson also uses the word, “solitude” which means, “the quality or state of being alone or remote from society.” By also using the word “solitude” in this sentence, he shows a contrast between the majority (society), and the individual. What Emerson suggests is that if one can live in a world full of people who think a certain way because they were taught to believe that way, but still hold your own ground and follow what you believe, you are a great person.
In the book, Siddhartha written by Herman Hesse, the topic of self-realization and gaining self-knowledge is explored. Ralph Waldo Emerson states that “[who] would be a man must be a nonconformist [...] Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind […] with consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall.” Here, Emerson states that in order to be a man, one must break away from generally accepted beliefs and practices. Society is not optimal to cultivate the foundation to finding one’s self. Participation in society inhibits individual growth because it confuses one of their true values, wastes time, and clouds success and determination.
He writes, “all things real are so by so much virtue as they contain.” Emerson says that things that are unique and individual are real, so therefore people who are mere imitations of society are neither unique nor individual. This makes it impossible for them to have distinct characteristics and qualities. A person with greater self reliance, Emerson’s goal for society, is an individual who brings value to themselves and others. In his closing paragraph, Emerson drives the final point home in his case for self-reliance. “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles.” The major goal in life is seen as being at peace with oneself, a goal nearly impossible if one is an imitation of someone else. Becoming self reliant is not so simple as making a single decision, it is a journey. Emerson provides crucial explanation and motivation for one to become self-reliant, and leaves it to the reader to take this goal upon
“What I must do, is all that concerns me, not what the people think.” (Emerson, 552) demonstrates that Emerson wants individuals to discover their true self that have unique way of thinking and should have a strong sense of self; The strong sense of self is also presented by “A great man is coming to eat at my house. I do not wish to please him: I wish that he should wish to please me.” (Emerson, 555) while stating that nobody’s ideas should be less valued. Through “The one thing in the world of value, is, the active soul, --the soul, free, sovereign, active.” (Emerson, 539) he shows his preference of resisting influences thinkers in past brings because he believes individuals nowadays can come up with better ideas and reading old ones will hold creativity back. In case that Emerson sticks with the stand that everybody can look into themselves carefully and bring up brand new and great thoughts to contribute to the world, he has no compassion toward poor people. If each individual has ability to be self-reliant, and then the only reason why poor people are poor is that they do not even try to manage their destiny. Therefore, unlike Franklin, Emerson questions “Are they my poor?” (Emerson, 552) to blame poor people.
Have you ever had a pair of shoes cherished so much that you were afraid to run the risk of wearing them, for fear of them getting scuffed, but by the time you wear them their too small? The aphorism by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “We are always getting ready to live, but never living.” is still valid today. It is often that we prepare to live rather than living instead.
These set of beliefs are based upon the internal need to find one’s identity through free will. The challenge of withdrawing from a life of ease tested the moral strength of the individual and their true resilience against nature. Emerson expressed his concerns for society’s conformity with one image. “When a man strays from the limitations set for him, the consequences are not pleasurable. Therefore, one who dares to be a nonconformist must be able to know the punishment of his adverse actions” (Emerson, 31-32).
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” Emerson is a firm believer of maintaining self-reliance and values rather than following the crowd. He also explains that in order to be truly successful in life, a person must make decisions and trust in his or her judgment. In today’s society, teenagers are more likely to not be self-reliant because the teens feel they will be judged for having different beliefs. People today need to realize that they should not conform to be like the rest of the world, they must not depend on the judgment and criticism of others, and people must refuse to travel somewhere in order to forget their personal problems. Through Emerson’s piece, readers are able to reflect on how people in the world today must try to be independent of others and uphold their personal opinions and philosophy.
Emerson states that "In the woods, we return to reason and faith." He is saying that when separated from human civilization we are pure. Without any distractions, we are able to see the world as it is most true. The world is as we as individuals choose to believe it (hence, faith). Man came from nature; in order to see the truth we have to be in a place that is not corrupted by humanity. Man returns to a simpler place, and thus is able...
Ralph Waldo Emerson, nineteenth century poet and writer, expresses a philosophy of life, based on our inner self and the presence of the soul. Emerson regarded and learned from the great minds of the past, he says repeatedly that each person should live according to his own thinking. I will try to explain Emerson’s philosophy, according to what I think he is the central theme in all his works.
I feel that the old and the wise easily recognize it and the young find it nearly impossible to obtain, on the other hand I sense that Emerson is empowering the gentleman in the room and encouraging them to find a more spiritual side.... ... middle of paper ... ... The citizens of today should keep the traditions of old sacred, respect the process and trust that knowledge is power, but in the same breath turn inward and let the inspiration be felt by everyone. Emerson suggested that we should pull away from the traditions of England and create a country distinctive to its people, and help form a culture that is unique to this nation.
In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance,” Emerson calls for each person in society to be wholly true to themselves. He claims that it is most rewarding to the individual and the society for people to believe in one’s own thoughts and not in the thoughts of others. Emerson believes that conformity will ultimately lead to an individual’s demise because by living for others, people are not being true to themselves. Therefore in order to have a well-formed society, citizens should focus inward and have confidence in their own ideas before beginning to look towards other individuals; moreover, Emerson calls individuals not only in “Self-Reliance,” but also in numerous essays to act independently from conformity and to live for themselves.
To achieve better success as a whole nation, the economy, the community, the government and the educational system need more of those individuals, people, who are different in their thoughts, who believe in their personal opinion and have the courage to express it, who question political actions, who change and improve the system by being sceptic, the people who make the difference. The more people are self-reliant, the better the success of the country and of all people. Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” is an excellent essay about the own opinion of a human being that describes exactly how men have to think about several aspects of life to be as successful as possible, for their nation and themselves.
“To believe in your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men—that is genius.” This quote is a summary of what Emerson, as well as the Transcendentalists of the time, believed in. Emerson encompasses a lot of different ideas in his essay “Self-Reliance.” He writes about a man’s genius, self-expression, conformity, society, virtues, man’s nature, and what it actually is to be self-reliant. So what does it mean to be self-reliant? Can we truly be self-reliant? Or do we have to rely on other people in order to live our lives happily and healthfully? In this essay, I will go over what Emerson thought it was to be self-reliant, what I think about his essay, and what it actually means to be self-reliant (if self-reliance is even possible).