Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Self Reliance”
“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”. This
statement took me by surprise in the beginning of the reading because it seems
to contradict what I have learned so far at TCU (that everyone is different as
an individual, ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ are subjective based on people, religion,
culture). So I guess I don’t really understand why Emerson would say what is
true for you is true for all men as a generalization. Although I found it
interesting that Emerson explored the idea that men do not look for ‘genius’ in
their own thoughts but that they must be told it or wait for others’ discovery
(“A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across
his mind from within, more than the luster of the firmament of bards and sages.
Yet he dismisses without notice his thought, because it is his”). I think that
most people do stump their own genius, or creativity, or innovation. We are
taught that genius looks like this, and
this is how one finds the correct
answer, and that success if possible only if one follows the path as other
successful people have gone. We are not taught to think ‘outside the box’.
Repetition is not creativity. We are introduced to the ‘right’ way of working,
living, thinking, and never even realize that there may be a way outside of
conformity. What would happen if we weren’t developed through what is
considered the ‘correct’ mold of thinking? There would be more critical thinkers
instead of just trying to find the one
right answer.
I agree that Emerson's statement about 'what's in your heart is true for all men' is completely contrary from what we learn at school. It's interesting because Emerson's philosophy seems refreshing because of its ability to completely embrace oneself. Society, however, is so focused on a generic whole that this embracing of oneself is nearly impossible. We all follow a general a fashion, a general way of talking, a general code of conduct. So, creating a new way of talking or a new code of conduct would be extremely difficult. I like your question about what would happen if we weren't raised thinking there was a 'correct' mold of thinking. Finding the 'one' right answer is definitely something people too often become preoccupied with today.
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