“Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members.”

Within the above quote, Emerson causes one to consider if ultimately society is beneficial or detrimental to our well being. We have created society, but at the same time, it creates us. We become locked into a system of customs and traditions that we can’t escape from, because to break away from the conformity would be considered a failure. We have formed society to have certain expectations of us, but to meet these expectations we often have to “half express ourselves” and compromise our identities. What is more important, being accepted by society or following your own path? In a way, it’s unfavorable to go against the grain, because to have the masses turn against you or even just turn their back on you can be a truly terrifying experience. It is human nature to crave company and acceptance, even if we are letting ourselves down by sacrificing our true identities to do so. It is one of the worst feelings imaginable to feel completely alone in the world, and what good is shining your light of personality if there is no one there to accept it.

Emerson elaborates on this idea, saying that “Society is a joint-stock company, in which the members agree, for the better security of his bread to the shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater.” In this sense, society is advantageous to the unstable population, for it provides structure and stability that promote safety and security. And to be completely honest, no man can truly flourish and show his/her true colors in an unsafe environment. So in a way society must be present to provide a setting in which man can break away from the conformity to express “the divine idea which each of us represents.” Paradoxically, we cannot demonstrate our true character within the boundaries of society, but at the same time, the stability that society provides is just as necessary to the process.

“It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of a crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.” Expansion on the topic of society vs. individuality further proves the point that the correct environment makes everything easier, as the nonconformist faces no opposition when he is alone and the member of society travels the easy road by conforming, but this doesn’t always lead to the desired outcome. We are constantly battling the conflict between our innate desire to be accepted by others and our craving to express our true character, and therefore the only happy solution is to fulfill both desires. And that is where true friendship comes in, because a best friend is the person who is “so real and equal that I may drop even the most undergarments of dissimulation, courtesy, and second thought…and may deal with him with the simplicity and wholeness with which one chemical atom meets another.” Friendship and self-reliance are interconnected and dependent on one another, and to obtain satisfaction with yourself, you must find the place where both exist.