In his essay "Self-Reliance," Ralph Waldo Emerson repudiates those who desire acceptance and who want consistency of thought and action.
Very much the individualist, Emerson holds the mantra of "trust thyself" rather than surrendering oneself to conformity. For, to conform because of fear of being misunderstood and the need to be accepted is to surrender one's individuality.
Trust thyself....Accept the place the divine Providence has found for you....Great men have always done so.
Asking such...
In his essay "Self-Reliance," Ralph Waldo Emerson repudiates those who desire acceptance and who want consistency of thought and action.
Very much the individualist, Emerson holds the mantra of "trust thyself" rather than surrendering oneself to conformity. For, to conform because of fear of being misunderstood and the need to be accepted is to surrender one's individuality.
Trust thyself....Accept the place the divine Providence has found for you....Great men have always done so.
Asking such questions as "Is it so bad to be misunderstood?" Emerson points to great men who were misunderstood by their contemporaries: Jesus, Pythagoras, Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, etc. (Herman Melville once said, "Failure--one's writings not being accepted--is the true test of greatness.") Because they were stalwart in their beliefs and the value of their discoveries, these famous men contributed invaluably to the world.
Emerson terms those who seek conformity as "cowards," while those who maintain the "integrity of [their] minds" are to be admired because they hold what is truly sacred. Thus, in order to retain one's manhood, one's self-respect, individuals must never surrender themselves to the "joint-stock company" of a society that would take away individual liberties and demand imitation and conformity. Clearly, then, Emerson rails against a person's consistency with others in thought and action from fear of being misunderstood.
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