Question

Many of Emerson´s ideas still resonate with people today. Recall or review some of Emerson's statements in "Self-Reliance." Which ones most directly apply to your own life or to the society around you? How might Emerson's words help people navigate the problems and issues of today? Choose one quotation from the essay and explain what it means and how it has relevance for you personally or for modern society.

Answer 1

Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay "Self-Reliance" is just as relevant now as when it was written. Many of the topics that Emerson addressed are important for people nowadays. In the essay, Emerson wants to convince people of how important it is to trace your own path, instead of following others blindly. He also states that self-reliance can only be achieved through being responsible for one's own decisions and that this in turn makes society more productive and efficient.

One of the quotes that exemplifies this idea is the following:

"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. A man is to carry himself in the presence of all opposition, as if every thing were titular and ephemeral but he."

In this line, Emerson restates the idea that there are no "good" and "bad" paths. The only good is the one that fits who we are. Therefore, it is silly to think of a lawyer as "good" and an artist as "bad." One should follow the path that makes one's soul happy. And we should be able to face all opposition as is the only real and important thing was our own decision. I think this has special relevance for young adults as they often feel pushed to make choices that do not fit with what they want out of life (having a prestigious career, having a family, getting in debt, buying a house, etc.).