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"Self-Reliance" is an 1841 essay written by American transcendentalist philosopher and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson. It contains the most thorough statement of one of Emerson's recurrent 循环的themes, the need for each individual to avoid conformity一成不變 and false consistency 前后一致, and follow his or her own instincts and ideas. It is the source of one of Emerson's most famous quotations: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin 小妖精of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." This essay is an analysis into the nature of the “aboriginal 原始的self on which a universal reliance may be grounded.”
"Self-Reliance" was first published in his 1841 collection, Essays: First Series. Emerson helped start the beginning of the Transcendentalist movement in America . "Self-Reliance" is one of Emerson’s most famous essays. Emerson wrote on “ individualism, personal responsibility, and nonconformity 不隨俗.”
"Self-Reliance" is Ralph Waldo Emerson’s compilation of many years' works and the archetype典型for his transcendental philosophies. Emerson presupposes that the mind is initially subject to an unhappy conformism 因循守旧. Throughout the essay he gives a defense for his famous catch-phrase " Trust thyself ". This argument makes three major points: that each person has his own self-contained genius , that society and worldly influences must be resisted in favor of one's own individuality, and that self-worth has great importance and value.
In the first section, Emerson argues that inside of each person is genius . He writes: "To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men,— that is genius.(549)" The remainder of this section is spent exploring this concept. He says that only a man who is self-reliant will be successful and any outside influences would take away from personal satisfaction. Emerson claims that examples of people who trusted themselves above all else include Moses, Plato, and John Milton. He then goes on to highlight the value of individual expression. Emerson writes that a man should follow what he thinks in order to discover his own path in life . When a person follows another person’s path instead of his own, he feels dispirited 沮喪 and small. An example that he states is a person hears some idea they had thought in their mind said by another person.
Emerson says that a man cannot bluntly 遲鈍地 obey society if he wants to follow his own expression. “No government or church can explain a man’s heart to him, and so each individual must resist institutional authority.”[8] Emerson continues by decrying the effects that society has upon the individual. He says that when people are influenced by society, they will compromise their values in order to retain a foolish character to the world. When a man adheres blindly to thoughts or opinions he has vocalized in the past, purely for the sake of seeming true to his principles, Emerson argues that he violates his nature. A man should not worry that he will be misunderstood or thought less of because his opinions changed. He writes, “To be great is to be misunderstood.”(554) A man must be willing, every day, to open his consciousness to his intuition, whether or not what it tells him is in conflict with his past conclusions. He also states how a man should still follow his own path even if other people feel offended by this idea. He writes, “ My life is for itself”, “and not for a spectacle” emphasizing the idea of not following what other people think, adding to the idea that this compromises their individual values. Emerson wrote that if a person were self-reliant, he would have “consistent access to survival.” He mentions how family, work, and society can hinder 阻礙 the ability for a man to thrive. He says that they can only stimulate his own thinking, not teach him anything.
The essay then discusses of the value of self-worth. Emerson says one should not overly admire a great person from the past . Emerson states that "man is timid and apologetic; he is no longer upright; he dares not say 'I think,' 'I am,' but quotes some saint or sage." He states that historically great men are not any more important than the present men , but they serve as examples of how to trust oneself. Individuals should speak their ideas instead of quoting the words of historical people because it will not help one understand his own inspiration. Emerson describes a self-reliant man as someone who is not afraid to speak his mind and truth to anyone , resilient, optimistic, quick-thinking, and changes himself when he is inspired by himself. A self-reliant man does not like to travel. Emerson thinks that all truths could be found where a person was and he did not have to travel to gain anything. He says, "I shun 避開 my father and mother...when my genius comes." He continues to say, "I cannot sell my liberty and my power to save their sensibility."
Emerson concludes by saying that as society gains, it also loses simultaneously. He writes “ Society is a wave”, “The waves move onward, but the water of which it is composed does not.” He explains how in order to be happy and peaceful, one should not care about the consumerism消费主义but should focus on his own situation. He ends with “ Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. ”
Throughout this essay, Emerson argues against conformity with the world. He argues how people should not conform to what other people in society think, but instead he should transform society with his thoughts. He gives an archetype for his own transcendental beliefs, but also argues for his slogan "trust thyself". To follow Emerson's self-reliant credo 信條 fully, one must learn to hear and obey what is most true within one's heart, and both think and act independent of popular opinion and social pressure, in order to bring satisfaction to one’s self
Individual Authority: Emerson mentions that citizens control the government so they have control. He also mentions how “nothing has authority over the self.” He says, “History cannot bring enlightenment; only individual searching can. ” He believes that truth is inside a person and this is authority, not institutions like religion .
Nonconformity: Emerson states, "Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist." He wants people to do what they think is right no matter what others think .
Solitude and the Community: Emerson wrote how the community is a distraction to self-growth, by friendly visits, and family needs. He advocates more time being spent reflecting on one’s self. This can also happen in the community by a strong self-confidence. This would help not sway from his beliefs in groups of people.
Spirituality靈性: Truth is within one’s self. Emerson posits假定 that reliance upon institutionalized 制度化religion hinders妨礙 the ability to grow mentally as an individual.
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