Self-Reliance

I believe Emerson is correct in portraying mans instinct to appease and please the people who surround him. Emerson's theory is that men need to think for themselves. He describes men as "dismissing without notice his thought, because it is his." Men should think for themselves and not adhere to what other think. Emerson's thoughts remind me of Crevecoeur's words "men are like plants". Emerson believed most men are shaped by their environment. Unlike Crevecoeur, Emerson believed men can overcome their environment and become great. Emerson recognized mans weakness but, also recognized mans ability to overcome weakness.

            Emerson said we need to act on our own thoughts. "Else, to-morrow a stranger will say with masterly good sense precisely what we have thought and felt all the time, and we shall be forced to take with shame our own opinion from another". What makes great men great? They act on their own ideas. They are not afraid of what other people think. They perceive no limits. I really like how Emerson describes a infant conforming to no one. An infant often has numerous adults around it entertaining it. Adults conform to the infants. His point is slightly comical but, the truth. We are not required to conform to anyone's way of thinking or doing. So why do we conform? Fear of rejection? Fear of being wrong? sometime we just need to take a step in the dark and go against the flow. When men think freely they possess power.

            "The force of character is cumulative." "The voyage of the best ship is a zigzag line of hundreds of tacks. This is only a microscopic criticism. See the line from a distance, and it straightens itself and will explain your other genuine actions." Conforming to others opinions will lead to a straight, defined, and predictable path. Thinking for yourself may cause your path to zigzag but, the path will lead to greatness.

            I hope I can follow Emerson's guidance and think for myself. Limiting myself to the opinions of others would be doing myself a disgrace. In the world we live in information is pushed to us constantly. It is easy to take on other people's opinions. When we watch the news are we really thinking for ourselves? Do we conform to the same opinion as our family and friends? We are all guilty in some degree. It is my goal to do as Emerson says and think for myself.