Being Yourself

Common Advice

When someone is nervous (for example a teenage boy worried about telling a girl about his interest) a common piece of advice is to “just be yourself.” This is a curious statement really, because it depends on one’s particular attitude toward “self” as to what this could really mean. We live in a society that is obsessed with self to the point that to esteem oneself is one of the highest virtues.

The Trap of Independence

Uniquely American

As Americans, we value our personal liberty greatly. When the original settlers came into this frontier land, they did so to seek out better personal opportunities or to leave various forms of oppression. When the nation was founded, it was founded upon the ideals of individual liberty and independence from foreign rule, liberty which the Founders described as being “endowed by our Creator”.