The Meaning of Self-Reliance
one who wrote it The Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson, a renowned and esteemed philosopher of his day, is a book that speaks volumes about the meaning of a person as an autonomous being and the only decision-maker of his or her life. Emerson establishes a self-contained and balanced ambiance by opening the essay with warnings that are expressed in condensed aphorisms. (George 78).
Self-Confidence as a Basic Quality
According to Emerson, self-confidence is one of the most basic and therefore essential qualities that every human being must possess. In fact, the author goes father and declares, "Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string," a universal spirit which Emerson convinces his audience to abide by and never let go if every single life that is lived on earth has to be categorized as meaningful (George 24).
Analogy of the Toddler
At some point, the author chooses to engage the analogy of the toddler, whereby he explains the curve of life to reflect the correct trajectory of what the inner segment of human mind is really like, and how the spirit of independence is cultivated all through infancy, contrasted to maturity and hence a model of developmental nonconformity. Indeed, it is very significant not only for his work but also for the understanding of his audience, when Emerson chooses a toddler because its dependence is solely founded on God. Applied in the modern day life, apparently, in the US, the personal growth of individuals is significantly affected by politeness in society and diversity, and self-sufficiency has been a conduit for which people have gotten to access their true self, reliance, and individualistic independence (George 12).
Self-Reliance in Contemporary American Society
The American society in the twenty-first century is very diverse and unique from what it looked like from time antiquity and more recently the twentieth century. As at now, most Americans follow their will as opposed to drifting along with what the society has to offer as an entirety. As opposed to political and religious intermediaries, the contemporary American culture is a unique world from most parts of the planet because people embrace what they cherish and do what they find joy and happiness therein, rather than be pretentious. As such, even the American Dream has been redefined to refer to the individual, in the sense that rather than focusing on what the American society can do, or the best a given community has achieved, apparently, Americans judge themselves by what they do and make as individual persons as opposed to the whole society. Therefore, on the one hand, Emerson's work still speaks to the American people and remains to be relevant, on the contrary, there are factors Emerson argues on self-reliance that does not remain as relevant in the more diverse and civilized contemporary American society.
Self-Reliance in American Schools
In the present day America, children in schools right from the youngest age possible are taught to be original, self-reliant, independent in thoughts, and as diverse and feasible to bring out their respective talents that could otherwise be negatively influenced not to thrive naturally, if coercion and external pressure is allowed to take the central role in child upbringing. Indeed, this was the core position of Emerson, that people should not be coerced to embrace the umbrella of social norms that are designed to suit the whole society, rather, everybody should think for themselves and rather than believing in the conformities of their respective communities, one should choose to abide in his or her unique personality, "Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string" (George 24). As opposed to former times in the twentieth century and beyond where schools advocated to children that everybody came from a melting pot of religion, culture, and traditional beliefs; in the modern society, the American academic system is designed in a way that every talent is lauded, and children in schools are made to believe that the differences in personality and ability are what make them who they should be, and hence individualism and self-reliance as Emerson would say, is at the core of the US school curriculum apparently. Therefore, Emerson`s work remains valid and relevant to modern society, as both the private and public schools in America thrive on the slogan that for all children to be at home, diversity, and differences in their uniqueness are the most popular elements of their lives.
Society and Self-Reliance
Emerson is the belief that when a person grows up, that marks the primary process of losing one's nonconformity in oral sentiment. The author paints a clear picture that society is often the most distracting aspect that interferes with the proper growth of personalities. However, Emerson notes that solitude plays a role to a very mild extent, unlike the latter (George 199). Indeed, the reliance on the external environment as is founded on the principle of senseless philanthropy is what Emerson condemns, as this does not hold true to what humanity should exhibit naturally, hence such is held as detrimental to one's spirit. Emerson goes further and argues that everybody should follow their inner self, regardless of whether their spirits come from the devil and their personalities defined by strange habits. The position he takes is shocking to his audience in reality, however, his extreme argument serves as a thorough warning to his audience that under no circumstances can anyone's spirit come from the devil, and hence the need to let every child thrive naturally without coercion or influence, for the best in them to transform them into that unique person he or she ought to be. While those opposed to the arguments stipulated by Emerson that if an individual's life is surrounded by emotional and sentimental personality then everything is not well when such people are left to independence, Emerson counters this argument by asserting that life itself is contradicting, and the epitome of personalities peak when extremes become natural manifestations (George 121). Considering that life is an organic process, hence acting and behaving in convenience to one's real feeling in life. Emerson is a strong believer that such lays the ground for a happy, sound, and fulfilling life. It is even more challenging as it is convincing when Emerson asserts that history is made up of a few personalities who boycotted to be brainwashed and influenced by social norms, and they chose their independent paths for what would later define their true personalities. Indeed, everybody has an internal spirit connected to the universal intuitions of humanity, and when a person does what he or cherishes in a unique and different way, it should not be condemned nor influenced, considering that already such is founded in the supernatural connection of the universality of human spirits. The presence of such intuitions that connect all people are evidenced when people live their lives without bring up to the past or the future times, hence the need to appreciating diversity and self-reliance, which is naturally monitored by the universal spirit (George 44).
Self-Reliance in Contemporary American Society
On the contrary, in the present-day American society, and even beyond (considering that globalization has almost homogenized the social, cultural, political, economic, technological, and religious differences), it is hard to argue that Emerson has influenced such behavior in any way. Nevertheless, a critical analysis linking Emerson's work and what is phenomenal in the society apparently reveals how much Emerson was relevant for the future, over the aspect of self-reliance. In the twenty-first century, most Americans, for instance, are firm believers that marching to their individualistic drummer is inevitable. In the twentieth century, for example, most Americans were more concerned about how the society could view them when it came to the dressing code and social alignments, however, apparently, people trim their hair, pierce their body parts, and dress without any thought at the background of their mind of what the society will say in reaction. Indeed, tattoos and related personalities are more dominant in the present day than it was in the past century. One could argue that people behave the way they do because of advocacy from individuals like Emerson. Nevertheless, such could have gone a bit further, as values and moral ethics are contravened grossly by people. Like this, there is a need for rethinking the distinction between self-reliance and rational decision making, to deliberate on life as a serious and highly valued state of humanity, which thrives more in social interactions than in solitude.
Emerson's Advocacy of Self-Reliance
In conclusion, therefore, Ralph Waldo Emerson is an ardent proponent of the idea that people should follow their minds and be self-reliant. That nobody should be coerced or influenced; rather, being unique, original, and independent is the epitome of meaningful, sound, and real life. Individualism is the core argument brought forth by Emerson, and the plot of the text flourishes on this objective. Indeed, it could be more meaningful and profitable if everybody went back to their childhood times, or rather imitate the character of children, whereby one's intuition and feelings matter, and not how the world around us reacts and thinks of us. Children are independent, unyielding in their opinions, and they either hate or love things to the extremes, without taking neutral and pretentious positions. Being non-conformists is the advocacy of Emerson, and the argument has been deeply rooted in the present day American academic system, whereby the curriculum is designed to encourage and laud school-going children to be unique and thrive in diversity and let their respective talents shine. Therefore, Emerson was not only for his time but also for the future, notwithstanding, the controversial assertions that could compromise the moral and ethical beliefs regarded as essential apparently.
Work Cited
George, Kateb. Emerson and Self-Reliance - George Kateb Volume 8 of Modernity and Political Thought- Google Books. New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002 ISBN 0742521451, 9780742521452, 2002.
