Emerson's Self-Reliance

Emerson’s idea of self is quite a noble one. He believes that everyone has the divine in them, and that we must learn to trust ourselves for that very reason. We should act as we wish and avoid conformity or repetition. We must not imitate, but instead travel new roads, think new thoughts, and be original people. We should cast off tangible things to focus on self-reliance, free of the support of the government or civil institutions.

His self is one that develops naturally to the person they are, not who society wants them to be. We need not travel to find who we are because it is inherent within us, as is our character. Knowing we are communicating not only with our voices, but also with our bodies, we must act in a way that promotes our character. 

Emerson’s thoughts on self are much deeper than one could ever fully grasp, but they are also limited. For example, he says that to be self-reliant means not relying on government, religion, or even society to protect our material things. I think he has a point that we must not be too caught up in materials, but it is important to understand that we live and breathe in a tangible world that requires certain materials. It is silly to cast off every material thing as something to be relied upon rather than a well-formed tool for humanity.

In this way, he offers a rather one sided argument describing a very individualized world, which we know is not how it is lived. Humans are a social species, which thrives on relationships and interactions—friendship, love, competitiveness, and family. It is impossible to isolate a person and call them self-reliant in Emerson’s terms; people are just too social. So again, his argument is limited in the sense that people should believe that others can bring happiness and joy.

We must simply remember that we must first find the happiness in ourselves before we can find it in others.