Essay on "Explore Ralph Waldo Emerson's Self-Reliance"

Essay 4 pages (1158 words) Sources: 1

[EXCERPT] . . . .

fulfilling life begins and ends with the self, according to Ralph Waldo Emerson. In his essay, "Self-Reliance," Emerson expounds on what it really means to be self-reliant and happy. While self-reliance sounds like an easy thing to conquer, it is actually a most difficult one considering the nature of society. Outside forces are incredibly distracting and it takes determination to look inward to find oneself. Emerson tackles this issue seriously and with a passion that can only be described as contagious. The processes outlined in "Self-Reliance" are important because thinking is a difficult thing to do. Our society is filled with stimuli coming at us from all angles and people will be less productive and self-reliant if they are distracted, which we learn in Orwell's 1984. Emerson knew the human psyche needs a time of rejuvenation to function at its best. Thinking about life, one's choices, one's mistakes, and one's future is a hard thing to do sometimes but it necessary if we are to be happy. We simply cannot look to others for our happiness and fulfillment.

Emerson was adamant about man looking into himself for answers. The first line in "Self-Reliance" urges us not to seek outside our selves. Fulfillment emerges from a life of seeking and not following. Many around us are content with following someone else because, at times this is easiest to do. Emerson advises us against this because it will not lead to anything but emptiness when we stop to reflect on our lives. When we look to ourselves for answers, we are relying on ourselves and while this sounds easy, it can be difficult when we are encouraged daily to listen to and follow others. Emerson writes, "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide" (Emerson). We function better when we are not copying someone else or envying another person's life.

Emerson also believed in individuality. We see this thought referred to as "rugged individualism" by such self-starters as Rush Limbaugh. Emerson wrote, "The soul created the arts wherever they have flourished. It was in his own mind that the artist sought his model. It was an application of his own thought to the thing to be done and the conditions to be observed" (Emerson). Here, Emerson points out that man has only to follow his own instincts to be creative. Art becomes a human outlet that speaks to millions and it cannot be taught to us. We can learn about art and artist, but art itself comes from the soul. This creation is fulfillment. This is a true observation all should consider. Emerson knew the importance of a single unique thought coupled with desire. The power to make something distinctive lives within man and "none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried" (Emerson). This is not an option for Emerson. He states, "Insist on yourself; never imitate . . . That which each can do best, none but his Maker can teach him. No man yet knows what it is, nor can, till that person has exhibited it" (Emerson). To discover one's true talents, one must be willing to accept them from his Maker.

Man's connection with his Maker is another important aspect of self-reliance for Emerson. It is important to recognize a higher power and to experience a union with God, whatever one… READ MORE

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