Warning this is a very opinionated sharing of my thoughts after reading and thinking about the essay Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Reading through this essay felt like listening to the ramblings of a discussion that someone was having with themselves instead of a political or deliberative essay. I could not say that this was a forensics or a legal essay since there was no call for justice but there were accusations against society in man in the article. There was the idea that we do not always follow our heart’s desires but society’s. I could not call this a ceremonial or epideictic essay either as there was no focus on defending a character or a belief. There was censure all through the speech, but the focus was not to praise or blame a current state of affairs. Or was it?
Determining what type of speech this was is very difficult. The time addressed the past and the present. The means included accusations and blame but not really exhortation. The focus was not on justice or honor or the lack of justice or honor. Did the essay have one of these purposes or was it just the ramblings of a person trying to decide what the role of self-reliance should have on our lives.
I was reviewing some of the virtues of the past and present. Ideas like justice, courage, temperance, liberality, magnanimity, magnificence, prudence, truth, honor, fidelity, disciple, hospitality, industriousness, perseverance, and self – reliance. Yet at the end of this article, I don’t know the position of the author on self-reliance.
Self-reliance like all virtues can be taken to an extreme in both directions. We can become so self-reliant that we miss out on the benefits of society and we can become so dependent on the society that we miss out on the benefits of self-reliance. Each end is bad to me. The society provides opportunities for learning, growth, and community. The community is important in our development and growth. We need to see what is and what is possible in a relationship with others to see where we should contribute to the world around us. I believe we have a call to help others and make the world a better place in whatever corner we reside in. If we are so self-reliant that we do not involve ourselves in the world around us we will never choose to make the world a better place. We will never serve and help another and that can be where there is great character growth in us. Without helping the world around us we become selfish.
To conform to society or depend on society for all our thoughts and needs is also a bad thing. If we listen too much to the society we will never grow and reach our potential. We will also a community to tell us what to believe and how to act. This will poison our hearts and lead us into paths where we do not develop virtues but vices. We will become leeches on society and all around us. The more leeches there are in a society the faster that society will fall.
So what is the answer then about self-reliance. It is listed as a modern-day virtue. Self-reliance is taught well in the books Alas Babylon and the Wizard of Oz, but does it have limits to how important it is in our character development? As I wrestled with this idea I pulled out my study on Georgics. Georgics is the idea that is found in Virgil’s writings. He noted that Roman society was failing and wrote about what made a society strong. Georgics has several principles: Providence, mission, self-validation, community stewardship, local interdependence, real estate ownership, and Entrepreneurialism. To me, the most fundamental idea between what I studied with Georgics in this idea of self-reliance is the cornerstone worldview belief. Everything is from God or everything is from anyone but God. This is where my worldview separates me. I believe everything is from God and He calls us to become like him. The principles of Georgics are a great start but not enough. To learn to work is a true virtue but I believe instead of self-reliance God asks us to develop humility. There is no way that we ever will or should be self-reliant. We are designed to work in communities and help each other. We also need each other to develop and grow. Besides all is provided by God. I have spent my time learning and learning about the world and that helps me to understand that God has provided everything and amazingly well. From gravity to grain growing. There is NOTHING that I can 100% on my own. But I can work, I can grow and learn, and I can develop the humility to understand that I am not the only person in the world and the world does not and should not revolve around my needs or desires.
So in the end, I find that the study of this essay is good even though I can’t see the point of the author’s intentions. The reason is it is good is because I can see that my God does have a point and path and that path is to help me and the world become a better place knowing that he has provided everything and allowed me the experience to grow and try my character. To see what I will do with the gifts and talents I have been given. I have no need to become self-reliant but instead wish to become more reliant. More reliant on the guidance of my God. To read and study and develop so that I can help others, learn from others, and see how wonderful the world around me is.
Reading through this essay felt like listening to the ramblings of a discussion that someone was having with themselves instead of a political or deliberative essay. I could not say that this was a forensics or a legal essay since there was no call for justice but there were accusations against society in man in the article. There was the idea that we do not always follow our heart’s desires but society’s. I could not call this a ceremonial or epideictic essay either as there was no focus on defending a character or a belief. There was censure all through the speech, but the focus was not to praise or blame a current state of affairs. Or was it?
Determining what type of speech this was is very difficult. The time addressed the past and the present. The means included accusations and blame but not really exhortation. The focus was not on justice or honor or the lack of justice or honor. Did the essay have one of these purposes or was it just the ramblings of a person trying to decide what the role of self-reliance should have on our lives.
I was reviewing some of the virtues of the past and present. Ideas like justice, courage, temperance, liberality, magnanimity, magnificence, prudence, truth, honor, fidelity, disciple, hospitality, industriousness, perseverance, and self – reliance. Yet at the end of this article, I don’t know the position of the author on self-reliance.
Self-reliance like all virtues can be taken to an extreme in both directions. We can become so self-reliant that we miss out on the benefits of society and we can become so dependent on the society that we miss out on the benefits of self-reliance. Each end is bad to me. The society provides opportunities for learning, growth, and community. The community is important in our development and growth. We need to see what is and what is possible in a relationship with others to see where we should contribute to the world around us. I believe we have a call to help others and make the world a better place in whatever corner we reside in. If we are so self-reliant that we do not involve ourselves in the world around us we will never choose to make the world a better place. We will never serve and help another and that can be where there is great character growth in us. Without helping the world around us we become selfish.
To conform to society or depend on society for all our thoughts and needs is also a bad thing. If we listen too much to the society we will never grow and reach our potential. We will also a community to tell us what to believe and how to act. This will poison our hearts and lead us into paths where we do not develop virtues but vices. We will become leeches on society and all around us. The more leeches there are in a society the faster that society will fall.
So what is the answer then about self-reliance. It is listed as a modern-day virtue. Self-reliance is taught well in the books Alas Babylon and the Wizard of Oz, but does it have limits to how important it is in our character development? As I wrestled with this idea I pulled out my study on Georgics. Georgics is the idea that is found in Virgil’s writings. He noted that Roman society was failing and wrote about what made a society strong. Georgics has several principles: Providence, mission, self-validation, community stewardship, local interdependence, real estate ownership, and Entrepreneurialism. To me, the most fundamental idea between what I studied with Georgics in this idea of self-reliance is the cornerstone worldview belief. Everything is from God or everything is from anyone but God. This is where my worldview separates me. I believe everything is from God and He calls us to become like him. The principles of Georgics are a great start but not enough. To learn to work is a true virtue but I believe instead of self-reliance God asks us to develop humility. There is no way that we ever will or should be self-reliant. We are designed to work in communities and help each other. We also need each other to develop and grow. Besides all is provided by God. I have spent my time learning and learning about the world and that helps me to understand that God has provided everything and amazingly well. From gravity to grain growing. There is NOTHING that I can 100% on my own. But I can work, I can grow and learn, and I can develop the humility to understand that I am not the only person in the world and the world does not and should not revolve around my needs or desires.
So in the end, I find that the study of this essay is good even though I can’t see the point of the author’s intentions. The reason is it is good is because I can see that my God does have a point and path and that path is to help me and the world become a better place knowing that he has provided everything and allowed me the experience to grow and try my character. To see what I will do with the gifts and talents I have been given. I have no need to become self-reliant but instead wish to become more reliant. More reliant on the guidance of my God. To read and study and develop so that I can help others, learn from others, and see how wonderful the world around me is.
RSS Feed