Compensation is an essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 – April 27, 1882) was a famous American essayist and one of Americas most influential thinkers and writers. ...

In his essay, Emerson states that everything is well compensated for. Every excess causes a defect; every defect an excess. Every benefit has a tax. The cheat cheats himself. The swindler swindles himself. The real prize of labor is knowledge and virtue. Wealth and credit are mere external signs. These signs, like paper money, may be counterfeited or stolen, but that which they represent, namely, knowledge and virtue, cannot be counterfeited or stolen. For use in social policy, see the article social welfare. ... A tax is a compulsory charge or other levy imposed on an individual or a legal entity by a state or a functional equivalent of a state (e. ... Knowledge is the confident understanding of a subject, potentially with the ability to use it for a specific purpose. ... Virtue (Greek αρετη; Latin virtus) is the habitual, well-established, readiness or disposition of mans powers directing them to some goodness of act. ... Wealth usually refers to money and property. ... The term credit can have several meanings in different contexts. ... A £20 Ulster Bank banknote. ... A counterfeit is an imitation that is made with the intent to deceptively represent its content or origins. ...

Emerson also states that problems and obstacles are seeds of success. Our strength grows out of our weakness. A great man is always willing to be little. A person who is spoiled by successes and advantages, goes to sleep. When a person is pushed, tormented and defeated, he has a chance to learn something, he gains facts, learns his ignorance and real skill. Problem refers to a situation, condition, or issue that is unresolved or undesired. ... ... In an ideal situation, sleep should be undisturbed and experienced in the same room every night Sleep is the regular state of natural rest observed in all mammals, birds and fish. ... Sad redirects here; for the three letter acronym, see SAD. Suffering is any unwanted condition and the corresponding negative emotion. ... Facts is one of the following: The plural of the word fact. ... Ignorance is a lack of knowledge, or a willful lack of desire to improve the efficiency, merit, effectiveness or usefulness of ones actions. ...

Emerson states that the belief that the good suffer and that justice is not done, is an immense fallacy. Nature gurantees that every contract must be paid. If you have an ungrateful master, serve him more. Lean to put God in your debt. A fallacy is a bad argument. ... The deepest visible-light image of the universe, the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. ... A contract is any legally-enforceable promise or set of promises made between parties. ... Gratitude is a positive emotion, which involves a feeling of emotional indebtedness towards another person; often accompanied by a desire to thank them, or to reciprocate for a favour they have done for you. ... Debt is that which is owed. ...

Emerson also mentions a mob mentality. According to him, a mob is a group of people deprived of reason and voluntarily descending to the nature of the beast. Its fit hour of activity is night. Its actions are insane like its whole constitution. The martyr, a victim of the mob, cannot be dishonored. Every lash inflicted is a tongue of fame. Hours of sanity and consideration never fail to arrive to communities, as to individuals, and when the truth is seen, and the martyrs are justified. Groupthink is a term coined by psychologist Irving Janis in 1972 to describe a process by which a group can make bad or irrational decisions. ... The term MOB (all caps) may have several meanings, depending on context: Rice Universitys Marching Owl Band (The MOB) Man over board of a ship or boat Movable Object Block, an alternative term for sprite (computer science) In computer gaming, the acronym has given rise to the more general... Reason is a term used in philosophy to refer to the higher cognitive faculties of the human mind. ... // As a term A beast, in the English language, is most often used as a synonym for animal. ... Melbourne skyline at night Night is the time when a location is facing away from the Sun, and thus dark. ... Insanity (sometimes, madness) is a semi-permanent severe disorder of the mind, typically as a result of mental illness. ... Historically, a martyr is a person who dies for his or her religious faith. ... Look up Fame in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Fame may refer to a number of different topics, including: Fame is the condition of being known to the general public. ... When someone sincerely agrees with an assertion, they are claiming that it is the truth. ...

See also

• Edgar Cayce on Karma
• Karma
• Self-reliance

According to Edgar Cayce, a 20th century American mystic, Karma is the meeting of oneself in the present through thoughts and deeds from the past. ... Karma or Karm(Sanskrit: कर्म from the root kri, to do, meaning deed) or Kamma (Pali: meaning action, effect, destiny) is a term in several eastern religions that comprises the entire cycle of cause and effect. ... Self-Reliance is an essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson. ...

External link

• Text of essay