Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

ads7w6 t1_j10l150 wrote

Reply to comment by breadandbuttercreek in Do no conform: Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay Self-Reliance argues that we should strive for greatness and self-reliance rather than the "meanness" of conforming to the society's dead institutions saying that "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind" by thelivingphilosophy

That's going to really depend on what you mean by independent and self-reliant.

Prosperity and technology are derived from vast connected systems and simply being able to use the internet means relying on large numbers of people.

32

VeryNearlyAnArmful t1_j119yur wrote

Large numbers of very rich, very biased people feeding you shit to suit their own ends at your expense.

7

breadandbuttercreek t1_j124etw wrote

There is a lot of real, useful information available on the internet, regardless of the way it is provided. If you want to be independent and self reliant you need to use all the resources at your disposal, people aren't born self reliant, it is something you learn. If you need to fix something or make something, you can probably find out how to on the internet.

4

ads7w6 t1_j12fuuv wrote

You're really just doubling down on the myth of self-reliance. I am all for using resources at your disposal and doing what you can on your own but pretending that you aren't reliant on society, the productivity of others, or the knowledge that others have previously gained is just not reality.

If you have a problem and use the internet to find out how to solve it, then you are relying on others to provide your electricity (or the things that you are using to make it), relying on others to run an internet connection to you or put a satellite in space, someone to design and make your computer, someone else to have the knowledge to fix your problem and put the answer on the internet. That's really not even a complete list.

5

breadandbuttercreek t1_j12r43b wrote

That's all true but it isn't what Emerson was talking about. No-one can be fully self-reliant, but you can take charge of your own life, make meaningful decisions for yourself and not just be carried along by the flow of society. It is about living a rational life, rather than the life society expects of you.

2

ohubetchya t1_j12r61b wrote

Many someones made your phone, computer, home, electric power, Wikipedia, YouTube, wikiHow, Google, your glasses, etc. Self reliance is a myth. Self reliance is wearing a grass skirt and dying from a simple infection obtained while trying not to die from dehydration. Insecure people believe the myth to avoid the reality that we all rely on thousands of other people everyday

0

vladkornea t1_j13tw5q wrote

He gave examples of independent and self-reliant (learn and make better informed choices). It means you do not rely on anyone's favor or permission. A child or a slave are not independent and self-reliant. Having to pay for Internet access is not the same as being a slave or a child.

1