Defining One's Place in Society

Emerson believes in the power of the individual to decide for themselves what role they want to have in society. He discourages the idea of conformity because he feels as though the differences amongst those in a society is what makes one stand out. Emerson says, "Ordinarily, everybody in society reminds us of somewhat else, or of some other person". In stead he insists on a society infused with character and reality. For one to establish their place in society, they must show that they are unique and have different ideas and opinions that have yet to be entertained by society. In Emerson's opinion, society seems to be a unity of clones; the same type of people, with the same desires, who make the same decisions regarding their lives. Nobody offers new ideas or strives to be any different. This could be because of a fear of being misunderstood or not accepted by those around them. Often times, those who are misunderstood by society become the ones recognizable years later for having found their place. Emerson agrees, saying "Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took to flesh". He concluded that "To be great is to be misunderstood". Those that are great are the ones who found their place in society. Everyone else (the clones) seemed to have simply faded into the background of an anti-individualistic society.