Did you ever watch a baby being said you can see how completely we depend on others
when we're very small a baby just can't do much of anything for himself.
Of course as we grow older.
Most of us begin to strike out for ourselves we begin to develop something called
self-reliance top and all restraint.
We aren't given enough freedom to develop supper lights.
It's much easier to put your new snow suit on than wait for him to do it himself.
It's and before long junior sees to
that it's much easier to let others wait on him.
It begins to like being depend.
Ride take care of your own pet.
If someone else will do it for it's by
structure with your lessons. If you can get Dad to helps.
This is an easy way to get by. The trouble is if you're not self-reliant.
You never do any more than just get by.
I have.
I've been working on this on problem.
One is you can see.
A lot.
Why do you bother me with something simple like it's something I'm painting your to
decide. You'll never get a head around here
or anywhere else unless you're going to make some decisions of your own you know.
And that's what can happen when you don't learn self-reliance. Mr Carson.
Are you trying to tell me that I'm not self-reliant. Right.
Alan I didn't say anything about you.
But I find it often helps to paint
that picture for students like you who come to me complaining
that they don't feel they're accomplishing much.
Well dose of self-reliance can do wonders.
Any one of us could use a bit more than we have all right education.
I think I understand just how you become self-reliant always you wanted a quick
easy formula. I'm afraid there isn't any.
Learning to be self-reliant takes time and I read it take it.
I have it almost dead. Here. This card may interest you.
These are the steps to self reliance write to them.
Assume responsibility be informed know where you are going make your own decisions.
I'm not sure I understand. Well let's figure them out together. So that.
First assume responsibility but do you suppose that the.
Wow assume responsibility.
That means to take the blame for things that are my thought.
Looking after your own school work planning your own time depending upon yourself
to be on time on time.
Better assume responsibility for getting to my next class on time or. I don't.
Why don't you assume responsibility for figuring out those other steps me. Yeah.
Oh well that's a good idea. But to cash.
Assume responsibility do things for yourself not
a bad idea that what's the next thing on this card.
Be informed. Well it's easy to see why you should be informed when Claire.
You have to get facts and information in order to keep up.
You have to know where to get information to
but why be informed about other things besides school work. Wow.
Better get after the school work now.
Mom got a car. I just wear a shirt I wear a tie. Why.
That depends on where you're gone. We'll be expected to work to be informed.
But you all know nothing else. Thanks mom. I'll figure it out myself.
Let's see. We're going to the movies and then there and tell us first next.
Minute and then. Better we're be informed.
Can answer a lot of problems.
Better.
Are you living room way I don't know Jack come on by for me say there's something
that I've been wanting to ask you.
Have you decided on what questions you're going to take next year.
I don't know I don't know what to take dad Jackson to take American literature
and any signed up for speech play.
But I don't know what I want to take where I hope you don't let your friends leave
your around this way. What will you get out of these questions.
What do you want to get out. If you know what you want in life.
You know where you're going. Make your own decisions.
But in the world are you talking about.
Oh well I sort of want to develop a little self-reliance. Mr Carson gave me a.
Self-reliance. Relative good thing.
He's from Emerson Emerson sure haven't you read Emerson's essay on self-reliance.
I think we have a copy of it here somewhere.
Well I think you'll find it on this very general right there.
The foundation of our way of life. Someone once called it. Oh yes here it is.
Self-reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson. I learned a lot from this essay.
When I was your age. Thanks dad.
I'll read it you may have to take American literature.
I think I mean no matter what course I think about those questions dad will give me
a little time to think I have a lot of work to do with where I'm making decisions.
Oh there's Jack. My mom said all right good bye.
Now you may think that's the end of Allan story. Actually it's only the beginning.
I would learn very quickly the meaning of the steps to self-reliance.
It takes quite a long while to make self-reliance a habit.
I watched Alan for several months.
I saw how he assumed responsibility. For example.
He took a job on the student part and worked at it.
I saw how he kept himself in power and. He studied hard.
He read more than just the assignments. He talked to people and listened to them.
He wanted to be informed and he never missed a chance to learn something.
I saw Alan found where he was going. He came to me sometimes for advice.
But he never asked me to decide for him. He thought seriously about his goal.
Purpose. I saw how we learned to make decisions for himself.
Always on the basis of the best information he could get.
And then just the other day at another student from meeting.
I saw Alan show really self-reliant he has become.
Students were quite upset about our parking situation around the school
but no one was able to offer much of a solution. That is until Allen.
Yes What is the problem with those who drive to school can't keep a lot of parking
in the street. I understand it's too narrow.
That's why we've been getting tickets there.
We'll just have to find another place for our cars and motorbikes.
I've been looking in that you know since we got the new tennis courts.
Maybe the old ones just north of the school so they could easily be made into a
parking space. We can do a little work
and we could ask the principal for his approval for us can sure be a lot of
people. I think on
that responsibility.
Yes sir.
That's the kind we can argue it's hard work to become self-reliant.
But these are the steps. Assume responsibility.
The in-form know where you're going. Make your own decisions.
Alan learn to do it and he's certainly a better person for it
but you develop a habit of self-reliance.