Emerson, one of America's greatest essayists, poets and thinkers, clearly understood the importance of self-acceptance. He believed in finding the truth within us. Emerson had experienced both the advantages and disadvantages of going against traditional culture and society. The same message holds true in modern times as well. We are constantly bombarded with ideas that try to make us into something else. We are told how to be, who we should look like, how to live, what our beliefs should be and what we should wear and the list goes on. We strive to adapt; we shape ourselves so that we can be like everyone else. If we deny who we are we will never be able to find true happiness, we must stop thinking about pleasing others. The relationship between society and a person really depends on that particular person. I think Emerson believes in not conforming to society. The things you do every day, the passion you feel in your heart, your virtues, are all characteristics that you should not alter. Society labels all people, whether rich or poor, we are all the same inside. “Everywhere society conspires against the virility of each of its members.” In other words, to be part of something, in this case especially society, man has lost his individual identity. Therefore, Emerson concludes, man depends on others for his own identity. Emerson obviously believes that man should not be content to become what society has already prescribed for him. He clearly believes that too often we are suffocated by what others believe and think and lose sight of the fact that we all have a mind of our own and should not fear independence. Conforming to what society believes or living your life on paper has taught us not to compromise just to fit in. We as human beings are capable of making decisions for ourselves and whether that decision is good or bad, that decision is still ours and we should be able to take responsibility for our decisions. We are constantly bombarded with ideas that try to make us become something different, we must act against them and follow our hearts. Work cited "EMERSON - NATURE--Web Text". EMERSON - NATURE--Web text. Np, nd Web. March 24, 2014. Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Self-sufficiency". Self-sufficiency. Np, 1841. Web. March 23, 2014. Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Ralph Waldo Emerson." Ralph Waldo Emerson. Np, 1803. Web. 24 March 2014.Ward, Julius H. (1887). The Andover review. Houghton Mifflin.Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature, http://www.rwe.org/?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=42, last accessed March 24 2014.