A person should define his/her place in society based on their own beliefs. This means that if people have beliefs that differ from anyone else, they will stand out, and if people have beliefs that are similar to everyone, they will fit in. In society, there are people who tend to be leaders, and others who tend to be followers. Either way, it's okay, because both kinds of people have a role. Without followers, leaders wouldn't have anyone to lead, and without leaders, followers wouldn't have anyone to follow. "We but half express ourselves, and are ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents...Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your contemporaries, the connection of events" (20). Here, Emerson is saying that everyone represents an idea, and those people and those ideas each have their own place in society. Sometimes, people are hesitent to share their ideas, but Emerson contends that people should accept who they are, and use their individuality to make society a better place.
I completely agree with your statement that people are generally either leaders or followers, but I also believe that it doesn't go along with Emerson's point of being a non-conformist, which, in my opinion, is being neither a leader nor follower. It is simply being your own person, instead of similar to everyone else.
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