In the passage “On Self-Respect,” Joan Didion (1961) calls attention to the importance of having self-respect and the consequences that come from its lack. To start this off, we need to understand what self-respect is. Simply put, self-respect is taking pride and having confidence in what you do along with accepting what you have done in the past. Having good self-respect allows you to understand who you are and where you come from. In this text, Joan shares some personal stories about herself and references other books and stories so that everyone can comprehend and relate, no matter who they are. By doing so, we, the readers, can make connections and grow and learn from each other.
This passage taught me many things and even made me question how good my self-respect is and how important it is within my circle. Some of the things I have learned is what self-respect is when you think about others and the importance it has on the way you view yourself, resulting in your views, attitudes, and actions toward the people, communities, and world around you. In the text, Joan writes about how one of our most common misunderstandings is that “self-deception remains the most difficult deception.” I believe that this goes to show how, without self-discipline, we can become lost within ourselves due to the overwhelming anxiety that comes with the world and the daily decisions we have to make. All of this misunderstanding and lack of acceptance, accountability, and respect could result in us feeling trapped or lost.
Now that we have discussed the negatives of a lack of self-respect, we have to understand that nobody is perfect, and our imperfections are what make us individuals unique and interesting. What makes the biggest difference is choosing what actions to take when you face a setback or challenge: will you give up and fold to the waves crashing in the ocean, or will you fight and rise above and learn from your mistakes? This thought reminds me of Jordan Baker from The Great Gatsby when she said, “People with self-respect have the courage to face their mistakes.” Baker reveals the truth about how it is difficult to realize your mistakes and accept that they are a part of your past, and how we need to learn from them and move forward to work on self-improvement.
In the passage called “The Creative Process” by James Baldwin, a renowned American writer and civil rights activist, we learn about the truth of being an artist and the risk of being one during his time. Baldwin calls our attention to the fact that we need to be true to ourselves to find peace, much like what Didion wrote about. Baldwin believed that without being honest, “whoever cannot tell himself the truth about his past is trapped in it, immobilized in the prison of his undiscovered self.” This goes to show that a lack of self-acceptance and honesty will result in low self-esteem, anxiety, stress, and an emotional imbalance as you drown in overwhelming thoughts.
After having read both passages, both James Baldwin and Joan Didion uniquely complement each other's writing. Both passages have a deep meaning behind them about learning to accept yourself for who you are to grow, learn from your mistakes, and become a better individual overall. We can learn from both of them that by having self-acceptance and self-respect, we can learn to love ourselves, become less stressed, and overall lead to long-term success in life. Even though it is difficult to learn how to accept yourself, I wonder why people do not take initiation into account or try to share knowledge about how we can. Overall, I believe that every one of us can work on self-respect. Lastly, I want to end this writing by saying that you do not need to make drastic changes all at once; you only need to take small, simple steps at a time. It might take longer to reach your goals, but I guarantee that you are significantly more likely to succeed in whatever you put your mind to.
I wrote the piece with the goal of opening a discussion about exploring and reflecting on the topic of self-respect in things like self-acceptance, and personal growth. I included some of the work of Joan Didion and James Baldwin due to them both expressing the importance of respect throughout their work. I also hope to encourage others to explore their own values and see for themselves the importance of respect in our lives. I hope by drawing connections between both authors along with my views we can clearly see the importance of respect in the personal development of us as individuals. Lastly, I hope this leads to understanding yourself and the ability to grow your values.