Self-reliance

Self-reliance is an enduring theme of the American zeitgeist. Our stories, the mythology that attends our history as a nation, and the prevailing spirit that is imbued in contemporary life epitomize the self-made, self-reliant male spirit as the symbol of our nation and its relationship to the world. But let us be clear, it is not the self-reliance which Emerson and Thoreau wrote about and indeed lived, it is not the cherished fictions about Washington or Lincoln, nor the absurd lionization of movie stars and wealthy capitalists turned politicians. It is the dangerous belief that self-reliance equates to going it alone.

It is said no man is an island, but the American archetype all too often depicts both historic and current figures in a larger than life motif, inventing themselves and succeeding in their accomplishments without the aid of others. And this view is echoed in our national perspective as American Exceptionalism. Perhaps this is one reason we have historically struggled with our role in the League of Nations, The United Nations and NATO, among other institutions that recognize the dependence of all nations on each other; the need for mutual reliance against rogue players on the world stage.

Certainly there have been and will be figures to come who largely by dint of their own efforts, succeeded at some remarkable endeavor and they should be applauded and acknowledged for their accomplishments, though never worshipped or set above others. The inconvenient truth is that for every adversity overcome by dint of our own efforts we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us and those who stand by us as we make our way in the world. As it applies to our country this truth could not be plainer. Even our birth as a nation owes a debt to others that fought alongside us and sacrificed precious life for an ideal of no immediate benefit to themselves.

Which brings us to the reason for this post. By the time it is published our country will be in the early days of a new administration. How that leadership addresses the nations of the world, and how it conducts statesmanship has everything to do with our future and our standing. It is too soon to judge, but the portents suggest a continuation of our exceptionalism mythology, mixed with adventurism, economic imperialism and either a passive or active form of isolationism and rejection of global coalitions committed to prevent future pandemics, protect our environment, address global hunger or afford mutual protection against aggressive nation states. This is a form of self-reliance that will surely leave us on our own, and that is a condition which neither our country nor the world can sustain for long without reckoning.