To begin with this discussion we need to throw light on his essay self-reliance.
Emerson asserts in his essay "Self-Reliance" that society (particularly today's politically correct atmosphere) has a negative impact on a person's progress. Self-sufficiency, according to Emerson, provides a person in society with the flexibility to realize one's own self and achieve true independence. Getting support from others, such as friends and family, may be a rewarding and vital part of your life. However, assistance may not always be accessible, or the assistance you do receive may not be what you expected. Emerson advocated for self-reliance for this reason. A person would be a stronger member of society if they were self-sufficient, could handle their own issues, and could meet their own wants and desires.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
asserts in "Self-Reliance" that man is sovereign and that no law can
bind him but the law of his own nature. Emerson, in particular, opposes religious
concepts of uniformity in regulating individual conduct. As he puts it
“No
law can be sacred to me but that of my nature. Good and bad are but names very readily
transferable to that or this; the only right is what is after my constitution,
the only wrong what is against it.”
In his familial
relationships, Emerson advocated for a type of stoicism that would allow for
community continuity while retaining the individual's intellectual freedom.
Importantly, he seeks intellectual and spiritual independencerather than physical and
emotional isolation. As he puts it,
“I will have no covenants but proximities. I shall endeavour to nourish
my parents, to support my family, to be the chaste husband of one wife,—but
these relations I must fill after a new and unprecedented way. I appeal from
your customs.”
Emerson advocated for
learning via experience, immersion, and contact with the wider world, rejecting what he
called the Doric and Gothic forms of education. He went on to say that
instead of following in the footsteps of previous successes, he should
investigate and develop new routes and concepts.
His main message is
that individuals should listen to their emotions rather than societal norms. It
is a sure way to misery to do what your family or society expects of you. This
is not to say that Emerson believed in starving one's family or insulting one's
parents, but he did not feel that one should seek to mold one's life according
to familial wishes that are incompatible with one's own.
"I
shall strive to nourish my parents, to maintain my family, to be the chaste
husband of one woman," Emerson writes in "Self-Reliance,"
but "these relations I must fill in a fresh and unprecedented
fashion." He holds the same views on religious laws: it is a person's
right to disagree with certain teachings.
In terms of education,
Emerson thinks that pupils should not strive to emulate great individuals from
the past or embrace ideas just because they were considered to be correct by
those who came before them. This line of thought is exemplified by Emerson's
famous assertion that "imitation is suicide." If one just replicates what
others believe, one is suffocating their real self, their own potential as a
creative thinker.
The notion that every
individual is unique and lives their best life when they accept their
uniqueness to carve their own route through life is the common thread that runs
across Emerson's thoughts on family, law, and education. Respect for the law,
family, and education, Emerson believed, was far less essential than the need
to make life decisions based on one's inner guidance.
"No
law can be holy to me save that of my nature,"
he says in response to those who use religious "laws" and regulations
to indicate that those who reject the advice of tradition, family, and academic
education are being led by the Devil. Family and education, according to
Emerson, are stumbling obstacles that prevent too many people from fulfilling
their God-given potential.
The overall discussion
can be summed
upin these words that he advises young people starting out in life that
they will never achieve true peace and pleasure if they follow their parents'
beliefs rather than their own. He encourages his audience to abandon book
learning, which is based on old customs. Instead, one should get out and live
life to the fullest.
Emerson contends that
for society to thrive, everyone must follow the dictates of their own hearts.
"Trust yourself," he advises, and everyone around you will ultimately
respect and trust you.
