Spirit of a Word-Self Reliance

Freedom of choice. That’s what living in a free society is. Having the choice to

make a way for oneself is an integral part to freedom, but does it mean that all the

accepted rules of society should be followed? What does Emerson mean by his “No law

can be sacred to me but that of my nature?” What he means is not that anything that he

wants to do he will, he means that he will obey what his heart says in matters that his

heart should govern. The words “law,” and “sacred,” and “nature” all evoke meanings

that are potent, meanings that change what Emerson says from being literal to spiritual in

nature.

The term “law” is used rather loosely in this context, meaning not the law of man

set forth for man to obey, but the law of heaven and earth. The law that God gave to

man, and the law that Emerson made for his own life. As a transcendentalist, he believed

in looking inside of himself for the answers instead of to a higher power, so it is more

likely that his specific use of the term connotates “law” an introspective position. He

does not mean that it is alright to disobey the laws of society, unless of course, they

conflict too much with what his soul believes. In the context of the sentence, the word

“law” most closely means any social custom which is typically followed by the masses or

any rule that exists simply because it is what has been done before, because it’s just the

way things are. People that do things simply because of these social “laws” would be

going against their own “law.” This is what Emerson is trying to prevent with this

statement in the first place. “Law” is only what it is made to be by people, and people are

the definition of what it means to follow it.

 At the point where Emerson uses the word “sacred,” he has already established

the kind of laws that he is referring to, but why specifically the word “sacred?” The most

widely used form of “sacred” is in religion, meaning something that is holy, something

worthy of veneration. Perhaps Emerson means something different here, something that

is more a form of thought or idea. The “laws” he speaks of are separate from religion,

and so is the “sacredness.” The idea of having anything be sacred is first and foremost,

treating it with great respect and reverence, which indeed is where the word makes good

sense. Furthermore, nothing can be sacred without being first respected. This holds true

for Emerson as well, but in a different way. He does not mean that it has to be widely

respected or venerated, no, Emerson means that he, the only person that has the true

power to judge for himself, will make the call on what is “sacred.” Simply because

people are told that something is “sacred” doesn’t mean that they believe it, however

Emerson will only believe that something is “sacred” on his own terms, terms that he set

himself so that nothing else would matter to him, but things that he deemed were worthy

of his reverence.

Emerson refers to his “nature,” or the way he is in a way that is not

unconventional. In this instance, nature does not completely refer to one kind of nature

over another, but is a healthy mix between actual nature and spiritual nature. This mix

exposes what it means to be a transcendentalist: to find truth through nature and oneself.

In using nature, Emerson refers to himself as a whole entity, not part of something

greater. This begs the question, does he think that he’s really that great? On the whole,

no, but by the same token, he does value what he believes above all else because it is

indeed what he finds true. “Nature” does not only refer to his existence, but also the
literal world through which Emerson believes the truth comes. He chooses nature over

other words that convey the same idea: thought, heart, and mind. The exact mix between

real and spiritual nature is difficult to find, and is nevertheless different for each

individual.

Throughout his essay “Self-Reliance,” Emerson encourages people to find their

own path, to blaze new trails, so to speak. This can only be done when the influence of

others is minimized, for that is when thinking is most clear. Emerson encourages his

readers to live by the same mantra that he lives by: obey the soul in matters of the soul.

He advises not to do things that go against the innermost being of one’s person, not to go

against the laws of nature. His specific words elicit a complex response, a response

which, if taken seriously, may lead to a better understanding of life.