Society has a way of corrupting its members and pulling them away from self-reliance. Emerson says that society has gotten to a point where people do not even remember how to rely on themselves. People live through the world around them because they are taught to conform to the names and the customs society practices. It is a "conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members" because it takes away the individuality of its members to create a world of people who think the same and act the same. People need to practice aversion and escape the conformity that society strives on. Of course, it is very had fo

r people to get themselves out of this phase of conformity, but as Emerson says, "whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist." For years only great men have been able to break away from society's grasp to form their own ideas and live their own lives. These few examples are the ones people need to follow (149).

A lot of people do not practice self-reliance out of fear or something new. Emerson says that "the other terror that scares us from self-trust is our consistency; a reverence for our past act or word." This is not something that should deter people from self-reliance. They should be brave going into the world, doing what feels right and not worrying about the disappointment in another person's eyes. It is only detrimental to constantly carry around memories. Emerson is not saying to forget everything about the past, but instead to use it wisely. Consult the past for judgement as a new day begins, and use it as guidance towards new experiences. One who is wise uses more then a memory to continue with life. A memory can be used to broaden horizons, to teach a person more about themselves, and to lead them into another great pa

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Approximate Word count = 776
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)