Emerson's Belief of Individualism

                Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, once wrote that, “To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, that is genius.”  In his essay, Self Reliance, Emerson suggests that mankind often shares common desires and beliefs.  He felt that those who opened their common beliefs to benefit and involve society as a whole were true geniuses.  Emerson valued individualism and stressed the importance of each person’s God-given task to benefit all of mankind, rather than only one man selfishly serving himself.  No society can function without stability provided thorough defined roles and tasks among the people.  Emerson’s accredited career supported his legitimacy in relation to social interaction, which helped spread his ideas of serving others.  Although he was not the only person who desired to serve the society as a whole, Emerson’s support of the idea contributed to its acceptance and success.