"Self Reliance"

In the words of Ralf Waldo Emerson, "If we cannot at once rise to the sanctities of obedience and faith, let us at least resist our temptations." What a memorable quote from one of the most intriguing essays I have read in this class so far. I completely agree--man should never hold himself to that of a god. One can never be as great as god, nor as noble; however, he can at least resist temptations. The evils that tempt a person daily and how one responds to those temptations are, in my belief, a direct indicator of that person's character. I believe Emerson to be saying the same. In self-reliance, Emerson shapes his essay around that idea that individuals are above all--societies, nations, religions, etc... A person must value himself over all others, and that we are all "devinely unique". Applying this theme to the quote I selected, I believe that this is an excellent example of his thesis. A person must respect themselves and not let others defeat them, especially by means of temptation. If a person can value themselves, understand that they are unique and strong, they can resist. Emerson does not want people to hold themselves to the level of god, and he does not ask that we are hard on ourselves if we fail to act in a godly way. This is exaclty why I really enjoyed this essay--it gives a person realistic means of setting goals.