Read the following discussion post and write a paragraph or more stating whether or not you agree or disagree with this persons thoughts/logic and why. Here is the question they are answering: Emerson's Self Reliance is a difficult piece, but one that follows the evolution of declaring a sort of Independence. For example, Jefferson declares political independence and Franklin declares independence from any dogma or single body of systematic thought, encouraging us to create our own systems (but to model them on his system). If we try to read Emerson as a declaration of intellectual independence, then what are we supposed to do with his work? In other words, is rebellion against Emerson himself, a supremely Emersonian act?

Emerson’s Self Reliance is a declaration of freedom of thought not merely for the intellectual mind but also for the spirit and soul. To perform the ultimate Emersonian act is not to rebel against his ideology but to discover and create one's original ideology. If one’s philosophy should be the opposite or the same as Emerson’s, then it must originate from self-discovery rather than imitation. He states that “A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages” (549-550). There is wisdom from the great thinkers of the past; however, to live by those past dictates is to take away our original thought or instinct. He stresses the importance that our ideas should not be pushed aside to conform to societies constraints. Today, we live in an age of political correctness which censers our voices. We are forced and indoctrinated into a belief system that may not be our own. For example, Gay Pride week is an annual event in Atlanta. My neighbor feels harshly against gays since his religious belief systems have told him it is wrong. He feels forced to accept the gay lifestyle because of advertisement, TV programming, and political correctness. In an ideal Emersonian world, he would ignore any of these influences and make a decision based on his own self-discovery. Although, my neighbor may come to the same conclusion, going through the process of discovery would result in ownership of his ideology. What would Emerson think about our American Literature course? Are we looking towards the past and regurgitating the information without original thought? If we summarized the material, we would learn something; but nothing of ourselves. By investigating the questions proposed, this is where our original thoughts are formed. To be clear, I am sure the discussion questions have been presented before in different formats through many Professors. Our Emersonian exercise is the reflection of personal insights on the discussion board. We are learning from the past not capitulating to dead societies or institutions of higher learning (552). As a society, we cannot eliminate the past because it does not hold the same value today. Instead, past experiences or thoughts change for the needs of today, thereby creating a original thought. The documents that Thomas Jefferson created still hold value today and are amended in hopes of creating a better government. As students, we are taught that we are basically a Christian nation with our elected officials sworn using the bible. Do we know which bible is used? In the case of senators, they use what is commonly referred to as the Jefferson “Bible” titled The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth. Jefferson created his version of the Gospels removing the miracles and instead created his nonsecular account of Christ’s philosophy’s or teachings. By an act of Congress in 1904, every new senator was given a copy of Jefferson's “Bible" and was used when Senators were sworn into office until the 1950s. Today, the “Bible” is still distributed to every new Senator. Would Emerson consider Jefferson’s actions an act of original thought? My answer would be yes, in fact I feel this was truly an Emersonian act.