Self Reliance

What is Self Reliance? How do You Gain Self Reliance?
A basic definition and explanation for the average person seeking self improvement.

I sometimes read passages and ideas that seem original and not repetitive of anyone else’s ideas written or spoken previously. As the reader you or I sometimes hear an echo in those original ideas of our own sense of values. The only difference may be that someone else has thought to write it down and thus record those thoughts and values as their own. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote of self reliance; “to believe in your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, -- that is genius”. For anyone to state their personal belief as though it is or could be the belief of other people transforms their personal truth into becoming a more universal truth.
Transversely in every work of genius we may recognise our own rejected thoughts. They come back to us with an oddly alienated recollection, we say to ourselves “I thought that once”. This teaches us to rely on our original impression or else tomorrow another person will say with authority precisely what we thought or felt today and we will be forced to humbly take our opinion from someone else. Although the world is full of great ideas nothing can satisfy us as much as our own thoughts and conclusions. No one but you knows what original thoughts you are capable of. There is power within you to be new and original and it can only be realized and executed by your own will. To half express yourself or to feel shameful of the great theology which only you can represent is, indeed, to fail yourself.

The Effort to Gain Self Reliance

You will be joyful when you have put your heart into your work and have done your best. You may have had this experience at some time in your life. But to give less than your best efforts will not give you that same feeling of satisfaction. You might then lose faith in yourself and in your abilities should what you set out to do or say be left incomplete. Trust yourself. Great men have always done so. Just as children are fearless in accepting their own ideas you can shine as brightly and freely in your original thoughts and embrace a youthful enthusiasm for your own exceptionality. We should make efforts to not allow intimidation or internal doubt to stifle our own good ideas or prevent us from sharing our inner brilliance with others.

Forms of opposition will always arise. People sometimes busy themselves with evaluating the weight of their opposition to an extent that they may doubt the strength their own truth. Even if your message is lost in language barriers it is no less valid. You may have the strength to deliver your platform to your own group but falter with a different audience. This is not the fault of your beliefs or convictions. Communication barriers can be overcome. As your own truth is repeated it will become clearer and more defined;, recognisable even to those who did not hear it the first time. By focusing on our inner strength and positive feedback we can find the inner strength to become and remain true to ourselves building our self reliance.

One Voice in the Crowd

I have been referring to those voices one hears in the solitude of their own heart. Self reliance thus becomes the enemy of conformity. Society would have us each assimilate to the greater ideals and to lose our own self reliance to a greater concept. To follow your own voice fearlessly you may be labelled a nonconformist but nothing will ever be as sacred to you as the integrity of your own voice. To know your inner voice and not confuse it with any other voice is to develop and know a higher self. To live wholly from within is to come to know your truest self. Following what you know to be right regardless of what influences come from society or colleagues will ground you to your own sense of goodness. This is the development of your personal values.

Your Goodness Must have Some Edge To It

Society may present you with laws and guides; but if they are in conflict with you your own inner decency must have a greater voice. If in your mind there is no goodness in the publications of others do not bend for the sake of acceptance. Stand firm to what you feel is in the right. Be open to discussion and yet as clear as possible in your own communications. If a cause or idea is constructed out of fear or hatred and you recognise it to be that way and not born from goodness you should neither let it taint your own good virtue or allow it to silence your goodness with fear or hatred.

The greater task will be to recognise what is of concern to you. There are always going to be those who feel they know your duty better than you know it yourself. You will feel your own inner strength when you can stand independent in your own thoughts in the midst of the crowd. Do not expect to be understood by all and do not think that those who understand you today will understand tomorrow or that those who do not understand today will not understand tomorrow. Everyone has their own voice and their own experiences. Self reliance involves trusting in your own voice and your own virtue even in opposition by one or by many.

The Ones Without Self

Men may become meek and apologetic who lose themselves to the crowd. You will not know happiness and inner strength if you surrender those things to the crowd and lose your own individuality. Should you adopt the view of the greater voice without also firmly having a voice of your own you may easily be drawn into the mentality of the mob. When the mob voice is heard within a person louder than their own inner voice the whole world will appear to be in conspiracy for lack of individuality. To be in the crowd yet build your inner voice and your inner strength as an individual who recognises right-mindedness you will not be devalued in your time.

Your inner voice, your virtues, and your self reliance are things that grow within you. It is up to each individual to nurture them within their own experience and protect them from corruption and negativity. They are yours alone not to be diluted in the press of society. Be yourself, speak your truth, and trust yourself and self reliance will become and remain a great part of who you are. This is needed to recognise the strength that lives within you and keep it firmly there by your own goodness and your truest voice. By this practice you will find your inner self and develop reliance in your own worth.

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