The theme of the essay “Self Reliance” by Ralph Emerson is nonconformity and living outside of society’s way of thinking. This theme applies to life in 2016 because our society today encourages individual thinking in some senses, and also discourages it in others. Individual thinking is the basis to creative ideas and solutions to problems. But it is discouraged often times by peer pressure to conform to certain ideas or standards society presses upon us.
For example, in school and in work, creative thinking is encouraged to promote