My Thoughts on True Independence

After skimming over the book, might I add with great difficulty, for a work to scrutinize in this analysis paper and thumbing through its index for either that particularly intriguing title or that profoundly talented author that stands out in my mind as quite possibly holding the strongest immediate impact, I stumbled across the honorary philosophical work of a true genius at mind - that mind being the one of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Though I never heard of Emerson before, I observed his incredible ideas and joined him in his deepened perspective on one reality of human nature, conformity, and its relation to the powerful consequences or, on the other hand, extremely gratifying rewards that we must succumb to in every one of our simple choices of everyday-life decision-making. It seems that in my passionate study of philosophy at the respected University of Mississippi I thoroughly developed a strong interest for the logical mind and how even the most simplistic brains in all of mankind can sparkle through the dust as potential superiors when used logically. The work that I would like to discuss, at most, could only be examined at the tip of the iceberg when given such little time to do so in, for many years would most definitely be needed to, dare I say, research and elaborate effectively the pertinent case that Emerson has successfully created for human independence deep at heart, mind, and soul in his work, "Self-Reliance." It was the title that caught my eye, and I intend to succeed in producing a worthy discussion of, my own version, on the meaning of the masterpiece, exactly as it revealed itself to me, along with the examination of a couple of others and how things appeared in their eyes.

The first person that I chose for consideration to read this and examine its properties was actually my girlfriend. Now, normally I would have considered stretching my dynamic research, perhaps, a little further than the simple boundaries of my very own bedroom, if you will, but at this time I am considerably reassured by the work at hand that no matter what, neither would I nor could I receive anything other than great diversity when searching for my perfect prospects. "Self-reliance" is actually an extremely well-produced protest designed to create self confidence in one's own gut feelings and allow he/she to disregard any behavior conforming to the standards of living created by society.

My first subject, as discussed earlier, is a young female of twenty-one years and has no children. Upon reading the work, Tiffany was apparently really overwhelmed by the large reflective use of philosophical jargon, but overall she was not completely left untouched by its, what I think to be, powerful insight. What she got from the work was simply a somewhat stronger desire to express her own opinion and forget what others say about things that she already knows. Actually, to be quite honest, she did not have very much input at all and saw it to be somewhat insignificant to her life; this is exactly what I wanted to find.
My second subject was the father of one of my African-American friends, a man in his early forties with two children and wife of twenty-four tears. I obviously expected a stronger impact from a man who has apparently suffered many great trials throughout his life. Upon reading "Self Reliance" the man responded to me in a way that touched me. He told me tales of having no friends because of decisions that he made, decisions that were influenced heavily by his knowledge of his rights of being a free man. Freedom, to African-Americans, touches a different receptor site in their souls, like the early Americans with their brand new country. After being touched by this man in his understanding of what self-reliance means, I found that my opinion of the matter was completely different.

This vague comprehension of self-reliance between the two excited me in that there are a few good men, though I am not claiming to be of such. Granted that I do consider myself to have a much deeper sophistication of the words and their meanings when combined in such a way as "self-reliance," I only hope to understand a fraction of what Emerson was trying to tell us. Perhaps what he was saying is that what he said not to be evaluated amongst groups of people; after all, it is he that testified that it is only our own summation of the painting that actually matters, that nothing is right or wrong to the totality of any combination of man, and that beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. We should not listen to different experts on topics of this and that, for we were born with the only truths that will ever matter enough to have a dramatic impact on our lives. These truths are as true and as pure as the water on the earth in its natural setting, brooks that produce life - that is the same life and instance that we all live in. The light from the sun and the stars in the sky all combine for a complete moment and nothing can be left out, including circumstances. Though it may very well have lasting impacts on our lives, the past can never matter, for it is over and we are left with our circumstances, as is the innocent man in a gloomy jail cell. We must make the best of the very instance at hand and constantly develop new understandings of the world, even if they contradict old fixations or what the so-called "experts" are saying.

Upon trying to develop an understanding from my own heart, I have learned that I alone can follow my heart and should do so with passionate desire. If I keep my goals in focus, never to take a single eye off of the fact that opportunity is what it is - that being the presence of the present, and it is, and if follow my heart as described I will not only find the truth, but live and be self-reliant.