Self-Reliance

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Today I will be discussing the virtue Self-Reliance from the Nine Noble Virtues which I am sharing on Steemit.

Let's be honest with ourselves, if you reside in the western world you most likely occupy the land of a nanny state. Oh sure you pay taxes and I know you work hard for your family, but truth be told we live in a slave society that was constructed in a way that we are completely dependent upon it.

Laws, rules, and regulations bind us to the government of our state. We are no longer free to move without approval, we can not take land if we want it, and if you buy land from a bank it is not yours. You still have to pay taxes for it and the government can decide any day to come along and take it away from you. So, even if we become self-reliant in economic terms, we still rely on the government for protection, permission, utilities, and many other things.

So what is self-reliance in terms of a noble virtue? How can we live noble lives when our entire world is made for us to rely on something else?

Possessing skills and knowledge is one way we can be self-reliant in our modern world. What if you woke up tomorrow and they decided to turn the internet off? No more Google to answer your every question? I am sure we would adapt, but my point is knowledge and wisdom are attributes that are being removed from humankind.

When we learn skills we become self-reliant in a way so that the knowledge we possess becomes something of value, it cannot be taken away from us. Learning a second langue, studying local plant life, knowing the land around you without relying on a GPS are all exampletake this kind of knowledge.

When we are weak or when we lack knowledge and resources, we become a burden for someone. Whether it is your family or society, being a burden is a shameful act and definitely not a Nobel lifestyle.

We are slaves in our society and each generation becomes more reliant on the system. I would like to share a quick experience with you to explain how bad this has recently become.

After returning from the Army, I began to peruse a study program at a local state university. The GI Bill was a benefit I had literally fought to earn and I was going to take full advantage of it.

When I began my courses I was appalled at the mentality of my peers. These were students in the prime age of their lives and they were so dependant on the professors and school administration to hold their hand every step of the way.

Their parents had done everything for them, from signing up for classes, moving into the dorms, and making sure they had everything they needed to attend the college. This is all wonderful and everything and I'm sure that is not the case for everyone in college, but it made me extremely fearful for our future.

These college students were completely useless on their own, and worse they had no desire to be independent. They were comfortable relying on others. They were granted unlimited flexibly to complete their assignments and professors practically gave away some of the exams once the students had complained about it enough. They had been socially constructed to be 100% reliant on the system and we're fine with it.

College should be a place to learn and grow as individuals. This a place that should cultivate critical thinking, free thought, and freedom. Not an institution of indoctrination and degradation.

Please, Steemians take pride in your self-reliance! Never stop learning, acquiring skills and, teaching our young ones the importance and reward of achieving things for yourself.

Thank you for following along, and please comment below with your own experiences. Are people better off where you live or is this a widespread issue?

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