Today’s man finds himself living in a world that encapsulates him within the parameters of the norms and values of the society, with little room for individuality. Psychologically and physically, they are embroiled in the ideologies being enforced on them by the different instruments of society.
External expectations are resulting in exterminating the individual spirit that breathes in the body. Reliance on consumer-oriented opinions has made the man of today, a social animal; who is expected to croon the mantra which everybody else is chanting and not the tune his heart wants to sing.A haze of questions fogs his conscience before he decides to expose the mask he has covered his true self with. He is devoid of faith – in himself; in his creator.
His faith has been challenged by the Hitler’s from amongst the bourgeoisie. He will believe what he is told; but he questions his own perspectives. He will suppress the voice within for the pandemonium raging outside. Why does he stand on such unstable fronts, where his faith in himself has been expatriated from him?Yes, he reads about the importance of individuality, yet he fails to practice it. Is it that elusive to be yourself? Is conformity a religion everyone has to staunchly abide by? Why is it, that today’s man finds his ideas resting only as thoughts? Why don’t these thoughts develop in to actions and revolutions? Constrained is the soul of the man. Restricted is his spirituality and individuality.
But belief has to be resurrected to enhance this mortal journey we all lead. Belief in ones self is what makes up a personality.Belief was what made Nelson Mandela, Belief was what got America its independence, Belief was what made Muhammad the most popular man in history, belief is what took Neil Armstrong to the moon and belief is what will lead a man to eternal peace. Reliance on one’s self is a pre-requisite to realize your true identity through which you can contribute effectively, rather than becoming an endemic patient of mimicry. The philosophy of the American Transcendentalist, Emerson, that has been articulately portrayed in his seemingly ambiguous but insightful Essay on Self Reliance radiates the theme of creating one’s own identity.Emerson states the importance of contemplating over issues rather than following the popular theory.
He advocates that a person should form his own opinions up on subjects and trust his thoughts, rather than relying on the intuition of others. He should inculcate in himself a strong faith that stands unshrivelled against the storm. As he mentions, “trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron strong” (Emerson, 15). This didactic quote preaches to the reader the significance of incorporating trust in him.
In fact, Emerson has almost used this trust as a religion every man ought to practice. Depending on the opinions of others portrays the image of a shattered man; a man who has lost the battle. This man will fail to emerge as an individual, will fail to create his own identity and will fail to live this life his own way. He will let others dictate his life, and he will survive- not live- as a puppet; as an animal who will follow whatever is being taught to him, failing to be who he is. This ideology of trusting one’s self is also mirrored in Ernest Gaine’s book, “a lesson before dying”.A book about the racial injustice that results in the electrocution of an innocent “black” man.
Jefferson, the alleged criminal, who accepts the stereotypical identity the community has ascribed to him. However, the importance of self reliance springs up in the meetings of Grants with Jefferson, where Grant preaches Jefferson about believing in him self and his abilities. This is represented in the last words of Jefferson, “tell nannan I walked” (Gaines, Chapter VII), showing how he had conquered what the society had told him to believe, what the people had made him believe.Reflecting his faith in himself and trust in what Emerson has called, “the divine self”, the result of which made him stand tall in front of the world and die with dignity and honor.
The issue of individuality is challenged first and foremost by the society one lives in. in today’s age, the society decides your actions and your reactions leaving no room for permitting the person to express his ideas or breathe his own piece of air. This pressure from the society has in detail been discussed by Emerson.He has put forth his radical views on the role of society in eliminating the individuality of the person. Emerson states that “Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members”.
(Emerson, 24) It is against the originality of people’s minds and thoughts. He also focuses on the futility of progress where the individual is denied the basic right to create his identity and contribute as a whole. He calls this a conspiracy, one in which the uniqueness of the person is undermined by what is popular, what is in.Thus, establishing society as a viable tool for the hindrance of man’s progress towards creating his own identity.
The society will term such a person as a maniac, a fool, a radical – but not a revolutionary and not an individual person. Society has greatly undermined the status of the black in the American society. In, a lesson before dying chapter 24, grants says to Jefferson, “I want you to show them the difference between what they think you are and what you can be” (Gaines, Chapter 24).Advocating the right to behave as he wants and be the person he actually is, not just the black slave as he is perceived, grant teaches Jefferson.
He teaches him to break free from the pressure of the external forces. To realize that he is not a black slave, but a black man, a human, an individual. The same ideology reverberates in the life and works of Fredrick Douglass, a book about the life of a black slave, who yearns to free himself, physically and mentally, from the biased behavior of the society.This knowledge, of breaking free from the shackles is taught to him through teaching, as he quotes, It [education] opened my eyes to the horrible pit, but offered no ladder upon which to get out” (Douglass, 47) and also the society’s keen interest to keep those of his kind in the dark, when he says, “by far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs and it is the wish of most masters to keep their slaves thus ignorant” (Douglas, 1).The importance here on society’s effort to hush up the facts of this life, the facts of this world. It leaves no space for the individual to grow and prosper by enforcing its artificial laws and beliefs on them.
This is where the significance of self-reliance comes in. As Emerson states, “let the man then know his worth and keep things under his feet” (Emerson, 18). Education teaches one the worth, but it is belief in the divine self that makes up the individual.The courage, to belief in ones thoughts, to worship what his intellect has made him realize. As perfectly put forth in Narrative of Fredrick Douglass, “the motto which I adopted when I started out from slavery was this – trust no man” (Douglass, 111) the highest degree of trust is to be placed on ones own self. It is only this that will drive a man to receive his rights and to realize his true potential.
As reflected in the content above, the identity of the person is being constantly undermined through the ages.Yet, revolutionaries have still come up. Literature on “identity and self reliance” has been widely published and taught. Having an identity of his own teaches a person too live up to his expectations, to not bruise his own self-esteem.
Creating an identity of ones self does not mean that a person has to become anti-society and anti-community, but rather having an identity which he has created makes him contribute more effectively to the society as a whole.Faith, another aspect I have stressed up on in my essay, is the first step towards having peace of mind. In order for a person to prosper, in order for a society to prosper, it needs to have faith in the ability of progress of different individuals. When a person realizes his true worth, realizes his true strengths then he has emerged from being a no body to some body. And that somebody fights for his rights and attains them; fights against the taboos and leaves an everlasting impact on the world, as for example did the philosophy of Karl Marx.
