Today's world is nothing short of a marvel. We exist at the pinnacle of human achievement, yet we are at the precipice of our own potential downfall. What used to matter most to us, Integrity, Respect Compassion, and other values have been left at the wayside in order to pursue humanity's greater goals. Yet despite the mass migration of thought, there are those who recognize what we are becoming. Joan Didion powerfully conveys her message on the importance and meaning of self-respect in “On Self Respect”. Combining examples from the literary world as well as her own Ms. Didon dives into how understanding and possessing self-respect can help one understand their role and strengthen their character if they maintain self-discipline and have the courage to respect themselves. Self-respect is not a new notion. It has long been understood to be integral to human life since the dawn of humanity. But progress for the sake of progress must be ignored if the values of people are to be strengthened. Didion emulates that one's self-worth is partly determined by self-respect, but other attributes must be strengthened in order to achieve it. To be able to understand one's success and faults, and not only accept them, but use them to overcome them is an identifier for possessing self-respect, and it can sometimes be found in unusual places.
Didion reflects on her own past concerning the self-respect she has for herself. Providing an anecdote on her failure to be elected to Phi Beta Kappa, she experienced “marked the end of something” which was her naive state that she was the exception to the rule and her “pleasant certainty” about life when she was a child were now over. Nevertheless, she learned from this experience and sought to overcome it by examining herself and learning to respect herself. Although it may be difficult, to take a harsh look at oneself is “one condition necessary for the beginnings of self-respect”. By possessing self-respect people seem to emulate desirable traits that can be described as one's character. Whether it be their moral nerve or ironclad mindset it is a virtue that has become rare.
By describing self-respect as something that is created by oneself Didion is exposing her audience to the fact that self-respect is something that must be earned by yourself. This journey will strengthen your character but you need to possess the discipline to undertake this task. To do so is not easy for it is not a task that “can never be faked” because it must be “developed, trained,coaxed forth” if it is to be completed. Didion also notes that self-respect can be “installed” into people such as the case with our elders, but ultimately one must face themselves of they are to truly understand self-respect for themselves. But learning to confront one's fears, do the job that needs to be done, and is ready to lay aside our personal desires in pursuit of something larger can build greatly upon one's self-discipline.
To live without self-respect would be a life wasted. One would feel as an “unwilling audience” in their own lives because they lack the courage to face themselves to develop self-respect. To have self-respect does not make one invincible either. To possess it one must be able to withstand scrutiny from not only people they interact with but themselves as well, “a private reconciliation” that must be noted in every day of their lives. Jordan Baker is used as an example of a woman with self-respect, although she is “incurably dishonest” and seen as an “improbable candidate” for anyone to possess self-respect, she shows she has the qualities because she knows the consequences of her actions, and has the courage to not only admit them but to accept them as well.
Taking value in self-respect needs to be recognized. It's “slipping prestige” now being committed to children, the elderly, or washed up senators while people go on breaking down the foundations of character needs to be reversed. A person's character creates something more when combined with discipline, and “intrinsic self-worth”. Yes, it forms the foundation for self-respect, but it builds a valuable person. One who like Jordan Baker is aware of their actions and can accept them is not weak while facing a mirror, and is not a person to be easily dismissed by the masses. By overcoming the various deceptions surrounding us and accepting these facts, we no longer open up ourselves to “self-deception”, we also break free from the chains of cowardice and accept ourselves as us, full of nothing but the utmost respect for ourselves.
Didion explores the concept of self-respect and how it can be achieved by people. Taking the values that build upon self-respect and showing a rough-hewn path on how it can be attained. However, much of her opinion about self-respect narrows down to a volatile variable. The individual. We all are all different, and for some attaining self-respect will easier than to others. But the ability to recognize what traits make up self-respect is enormously helpful. To continue the excellence that is achieved by humanity more people need to discover self-respect because once they do, they extend that notion to others. Didion is a genius for recognizing the components of self-respect and understanding the emotions as well as being able to explain them. She is able to strike up a debate on how instrumental self-respect is in our lives, and how much more importance we should place on it if we all want to succeed.
