“There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better or worse as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till...?”  That moment that I struggle with everyday in my life is my anxiety. I get very anxious for upcoming tests, homework, social life, family situations, etc… My anxiety is something that is hard to control, but i have to cope with it. I usually tend to think about my worries for what seemed like forever. I would say to myself “What if this were to happen…..” and “Well if I do this, what will happen to…..” These things are just part of my everyday struggle with anxiety.

The advice that Ralph Waldo Emerson would have most likely given to me would possibly sound something like “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron sting. Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your contemporaries, the connection of events.” Emerson would probably have given me this advice, because I only worry about the sake of others, I never really put my own input into effect during these situations. Saying “Accept the divine providence has found for you, the society of your contemporaries, the connection of events.” would infer to me going with the flow. Emerson has taught me through this passage that whatever life throws at you happens for a reason.

Personally I would have taken Emerson’s advice. Well maybe if it was that easy. Worrying is something that comes quite naturally to me. I don’t necessarily want to worry, but it just happens anyways. All in all I would apply Emerson’s advice to my life… at least I will try my hardest to.  Emerson may not be around to tell me his advice, but the man was so brilliant you can get a whole life lesson from just reading one of his one-page stories.