blog




  • Essay / The master of one's destiny, the captain of one's soul

    Successful people have the ability to avoid situations and make concise decisions that lead them to a final goal or destination. In order to make these decisions and navigate their way through a maze of obstacles, they must have confidence in their own judgment. Good judgment is subjective and requires discipline and control. Good judgment is not hindered by outside influences, but allows individuals to conduct themselves in a manner that is soothing to themselves and their situation. Individuals of this type maintain their own behavior, separating themselves and recognizing how they are perceived and who they would like to be. Good judgment leads to a person who is in control and control does not depend on anything. Michael De Montaigne describes in his essays how one can take control of oneself while achieving a coherent whole. We are often influenced and criticized by our close peers. Because of this constant speculation and concern for others, people turn trivial decisions into difficult, life-changing battles. Even in solitude, consciousness is a constant – and dogmatic – observer. The very idea of ​​having to make a choice has become a tyrannical monster. To regain control, Montaigne advises individuals to withdraw into themselves. He suggests that people discipline themselves in “a back room of our own” (Montaigne 214) because “it would be madness to trust ourselves if [we] do not know how to govern ourselves” (Montaigne 214). 221). In solitude, “freed from the violent clutches that engage” (Montaigne 216), one must go so far in discipline that he “dares not stumble in his own presence” (Montaigne 221). In doing so, individuals respect their decision, trusting it as the most beneficial and appropriate for the situation. Often, division is another source of confusion, making it difficult for individuals to have authority in their own lives. People are torn between “their own affairs” and the “headaches…of our neighbors and friends” (Montaigne 215). To this, Montaigne explains how one must comfortably detach oneself from earthly materials and allow oneself “to be a people in their own right” (Montaigne 221). Certainly, one must find pleasures in having “a wife, children, property and above all health” (Montaigne 214); however, one must not be tied to materials to the point that “one's happiness depends on it” (Montaigne 214) or “that they cannot be detached from them without tearing off our skin and also part of our flesh” (Montaigne 216). We tend to give of ourselves, so that some of our time and thought belong to others rather than to ourselves..