You Are Not Alone by Natasha

Has anyone ever said to themselves, "Something told me to..." do this or that or what ever the case may be, and a decision was made to either listen or not to listen to that little voice? Most people will admit that they have heard their own inner voice a time or two because this is quite common. So what's the deal? Is God Himself trying to contact man through a special kind of human intercom system or something? In the story, Self Reliance, by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emerson implies that self reliance is the ability to trust in ourselves by trusting in God who created us.

First, Emerson encourages man to develop a strong belief in self and avoid imitating others. Man is a unique creature, each with different talents and abilities. Emerson wants man to "stun and astonish the intruding rabble of men and books and institutions by a simple declaration of the divine fact...God is here within" (1173). God can teach man to do his best without mimicking others but man has to put forth an effort to find out what that is in which he can do because man will not know until he has tried.

Next, Emerson implies that man could use prayer more effectively and to his own advantage. Emerson suggests that prayer that acknowledges unity and the conscious presence of God with man brings about better results for man than the idea of dualism. As soon as man realizes he can become one with God through Jesus, that man can contemplate the conditions in which he wants to produce. Dormant forces come alive, ones soliloquy expresses a joyful soul, and then man will "see prayer in all action" (1175). A new and wonderful world will be co-created and God's will is manifested when prayer is used effectively.

In conclusion, one can assume Emerson implies that the prerequisite for self reliance is some biblical knowledge and faith in God. Emerson believes that God will help man if he trusts in himself and aims for originality in the journey and cultivation of life. So the next time an inner voice is heard, take that opportunity to practice divine self reliance because you are not alone.


Work Cited
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Self-Reliance." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. &th ed. Vol. A. New York: Norton,2007. 1163-80.