Failure and Peace

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self Exploration.” It made me realize the amount of value failure has in self-realization. Failure defines you whether you accept it or not. However, your response to failure is the biggest test of all. If you refuse to grow and learn from failure, you fail to expand your self-exploration. Some people say, “It is not how many times you fall, but how many times you get up” and I could not agree anymore. Emerson also commented, “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself (Emerson, 226)” The harshness of the word “nothing” makes it clear that Emerson sees this as a concrete statement. Yet, is controversial to me. I can imagine a way of thinking that explains his thinking centering around it being a choice to embrace peace. However, I believe that in certain situations, it is easier to find peace than in others. I am an extrovert and can say I find more solace in socialization. When I am surrounded by my friends, I am able to feel more at home and at peace. It is the physical presence of people that I know and trust that makes me feel comfortable. Several people I know are on antidepressants and other medications to help balance the chemical reactions in their brains. Thus, they have to rely on these medications to center them and bring them towards peace. Therefore, I stand by the notion that the complexity of human emotions cannot be contained by definitive statements.