Ralph Waldo Emersons Self Reliance - Essay Example

Analysis of Ralph Waldo Emerson`s Essay: “Self Reliance”“Self-Reliance” – Summary “…There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till” (http://www.emersoncentral.com/selfreliance.htm, pp. 1160). The above shown statements are the famous lines from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance”. These lines are also the starting point of Emerson’s revelation of his thoughts about self-reliance. His initial goal for sharing these lines is just to express what he’s thinking. He just wants to let go from his mind what his philosophies in life are, his values and his perception towards certain aspects of human life. The lines above try to pre-empt the idea why self-reliance occurs… why certain people feel the need to depend on themselves alone … why there are people who would want to live on their own. According to Emerson, it is a natural human phenomenon that people would reach a certain level or age that they would think of creating their own niche’ in the society. It s but a normal thing that people would eventually minimize or avoid following or mimicking what is ‘in’ and ‘trendy’. Alongside with this, it is also a natural act that people would themselves believing that they better than the others and that they can do better hence they would try their very best not to ask for somebody’s help. This is, as Emerson puts it, self-reliance. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” talks about how men and women should live his/her life. There are certain advices which he left in his readers mind. These include: 1. Everybody must take himself for better, for worse as his portion 2. Trust thyself 3. Do not think the youth has no force 4. What one must do is the only thing that must concern him/her 5. No man can violate his nature The above insights are given by Emerson in this essay. It makes his essay clear that the essay is tackling about the virtues of life and how it should be lived. Emerson’s ideas on self-reliance revolves around the problem of selfhood, principally its definition in relation to Spirit (http://www.bu.edu/philo/centers/cphs/papers/emerson.pdf). He faced two principle challenges: an age increasingly secularized and concomitantly doubtful about articulating the relationship, if any, between Creator and Man, and a second conundrum generated by a new predominance claimed for individual sovereignty. Wary of generalization, it is still appropriate to characterize Emerson’s generation as uniquely embracing a new theology of selfhood. Critiques on Self-Reliance On the Concept of “Self Reliance” Emerson cited that one could start being self-reliant if he knows how to trust him/herself. Being self-conscious, being unaware of what one can do and cannot do, being unsure of oneself or in short lacking confidence is definitely out of Emerson’s mind when he cited this. For him, every activity, every endeavor, every starting point will end up victoriously (as what we humans would always want it) if trust for oneself is there even from the very beginning. I liked it very much when Emerson incorporated the ‘divine providence’ in his pursuit to prove his point that self-trust is the very basic virtue that one must have so as to achieve self-reliance. I, too, strongly believe that trusting oneself is and should be the first step on the road to self-reliance. There could be no better leaders nor followers and there could be no famous achievers if these people have not put great trust on their own capabilities and intellectual capacities. Second should be attitude, according to Emerson, is the ability to know and appreciate how one’s worth. Understanding what you can do, knowing and believing that you can do it, is the continuing character of self-trust. I myself, like Emerson, think that if I can be a senator or even a president of the state someday, I can be one because of my persistence to reach it. Needless to say, if I think that I am worth the votes of so many people, if I am worth getting their attention and gaining their confidence and if I have the skills worthy of the tasks that will be assigned to me… then that I have reached the second most basic attribute towards self-reliance. Third is insisting on yourself without imitating others. Again, Emerson has involved in the above-stated words our sole Creator, He who gave us all this blessings and characteristics. I know for a fact that each one of us is unique in our own little way. Like what Emerson implies, all of us, as individuals have the ‘gift’ for individuality and uniqueness. One need not copy what others are doing. One need not always try to follow or mimic what others have been doing. All of us are very special hence we could always make or present an equally special task. But then again, we always have to remember that we cannot insist on being ourselves if we do not trust our whole being and if we do not appreciate our self-worth. They are all really interconnected. The fourth and seems to be the last is avoidance to ‘faulty’ prayers. It may seem that Emerson opted to involve prayers and divine guidance to all of his tips in gaining sell-reliance. He talks about that basic should-be human attitude and he saw to it that He would not be neglected. But this does not mean, also according to Emerson, that we will solely rely on His power. I strongly believe in Emerson’s idea that as dutiful human beings, it is our responsibility to pray and ask for His divine grace. But no one should totally depend on Him on how one has to live his life. It is always a man’s task to have a life of his own following what is stated by God. His words will direct and guide us, but it’s up to us to make and initiate the necessary steps. On Emerson’s Way of Presenting his Ideas Ralph Waldo Emerson is philosopher known for his seemingly anti-classical approach of viewing things. With his writings, his philosophies are revealed. His philosophies are either accepted or denied by many, but he is not concerned with all this. His main goal for initiating such views are mainly for his personal use. These are his basis for his daily living, these serve as his guidelines on what he think is right and best for him. Among his writings, his “Self-reliance” is the one who got the most attention, not only from the other philosophers and sociologists like him, but even from the most ordinary citizens. Emerson’s “Self Reliance” is very comprehensive in a way that it not only provides basic definitions and descriptions on self-reliance. He did not fail to add how one can become or how one can ensure that he/he practices self-reliance. At the same time, Emerson’s self-reliance is very informative and suggestive in a way that it offers thought-provoking ideas from its readers. The readers are provided with the option of whether to follow what he is implying or to remain believing in their own sets of beliefs and philosophies. This makes the essay really more effective - effective in a way that it can first trigger the mind of the readers and will make them think of how they are exactly living their lives at present, then they will soon be enveloped with the idea of changing their ways and beliefs gradually in a way that they can be more productive while being happy and meaningful or useful for the many. On the Importance of “Self-reliance” In today’s modern times, many of us are now focused into doing a lot of things… things that can improve our lives, things that can make us adapt with the continuing trend of the technological era. Because of this, man’s core values philosophies and belief are most often neglected. Many are now thinking that they know the theories already. Most schools offer values education. Church personnel and other religious sectors plus the parent are surely giving their own advices to the youths and to all whom they loved regarding which path in life is better walked on. This Emerson’s “Self-reliance” is equally important as the others. This is because in a creatively crafted essay, the youths of today, or any readers for that matter, will then be reminded of how good the life is and how to live it to the fullest. “Self-reliance” has implied that there are various ways that one can enjoy life while maintaining a good conduct and by being self-sufficient that others may follow. We can always be self-reliant while we still being concern with other people. We can still be self-reliant while following the norms in the society. We can still be self reliant while being happy with what and how we have become. Indeed, in today’s modern times – when there has been lots of challenges plaguing around us such us diseases, wars, political chaos, energy chaos, and even natural calamities and weather disturbances – becoming a self-reliant individual is definitely a virtue that once should maintained in him/herself. Ideas I Liked to Most in this Essay Emerson’s essay on “Self-Reliance” has left tremendous though-generating ideas to its readers. Some of these worth-noting are: “Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members” (http://www.emersoncentral.com/selfreliance.htm) This statement just means that the society that we belong with offers great impact to our very personality, and most of the time, our society works against what we truly is or what we would want to become. Also, this line suggests that the society we belong with “dictates” what to do with our life and how to do it in a society-acceptable manner. For example, if we belong in a society where families do not follow population control, hence even if we would want to have just two or three members in the family, we would probably have seven or more because that’s what our society suggests. “Who so would be a man must be a nonconformist.” (http://www.emersoncentral.com/selfreliance.htm) Nonconformist could mean a “rebel” or a “free-spirited”. And yes it must be true… that if we could be a man (who can stand alone and be responsible to every thoughts and actions), then we must have been rebels in our society who have successfully fought over what our society dictates. A rebel in a way that we fight for our own beliefs, for our own rights, for our own identity not just following what is already a ‘norm’ in the society. If that is the case, then I would be willing to call my self a ‘rebel’ or a ‘nonconformist’, because that is the real essence of self-reliance. “What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think.” (http://www.emersoncentral.com/selfreliance.htm) The aforementioned lines are the underlying meaning of Emerson’s “Self-Reliance”. It basically states that we should not be concerned with what others might think, but instead what we think and want for ourselves. It does not matter whether others would “approve” what we want to do or not, what matters most is that its what we think is best for us, and its what we really want, because in the end it is only “us” who will benefit from it or who will be affected by whatever decisions we will be making for ourselves. And I, too, agree with that. What is important is doing what I want, what I think is right and what will benefit me the most. The other people’s opinion will only matter if my course of action will be harmful to most populace. “It is easy to see that a greater self-reliance must work a revolution in all the offices and relations of men; in their religion; in their education; in their pursuits; their modes of living; their association; in their property; in their speculative views.” (http://www.emersoncentral.com/selfreliance.htm) I can exactly see Emerson’s point on the above lines. If we all could be self-reliant, then everything else will flow rightly. All institutions – government and non-government – hospitals and churches; schools or homes could all be benefited. It is like a ‘domino effect’. Once the first member or part of an institution do its share of having the right attitude such as independence, then all others must share theirs also. “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles.” (http://www.emersoncentral.com/selfreliance.htm) This statement almost summarized the whole context. How one can achieve eternal happiness? How one could admit that he had gained peace? Isn’t it through winning over your own sets of principles? Our world is a battle, not against supremacy, but against principles… of beliefs. Conclusion Emerson’s infamous essay entitled “Self-reliance” has been truly a success. Success in the form that it opened up the minds of the many. Success that it enabled Emerson himself to voice his own thought and ideas. And success in a way that it triggered the minds of the many motivating them to do and work hard so as to gain self-reliance. Many of the thoughts that Emerson out in this essay are agreeable to me. in fact I was inspired by all of them. I was also moved and deeply affected. I am certain that this will affect me on how I will treat life starting this day forward. And that is only me… for sure all of the others readers felt the same way. WORKS CITED: “Emerson and the Irony of Self-reliance: An American Response to Nihilism” “Self Reliance”. “Transcendentalism”. Read More