Humans inherently require individual freedom and identity. At the same time, people feel the need to belong and have order and structure. Pure individuality results in isolation from society. The extreme of a structured and ordered society prevents the development of individuality and produces an ultimately unfulfilling life. Thus, every human must reconciliate these conflicting needs. An individual becomes happy and mature by exercising individual freedom and evaluating the truths dictated by society. People must formulate their own truth and live accordingly. Still, this romantic philosophy does not disregard the human need for order. Through this independent thought, the structure humans crave is provided as well.

Writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau explore the conflict of the individual versus society. These two philosophers adhere to the romantic approach to life. Their lives and writings explain the infinite importance of individual needs over structure and order. Emerson stresses the value and capacity of individual identity and thought. “Freedom is necessary” as affirmed by Emerson. To be truly content with their lives, people must be allowed to express themselves. An individual cannot simply conform to the ideals of society without living a meaningless and ultimately unfulfilling life. In “Self Reliance”, Emerson states, “He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness” (190). By analyzing the truths that have been provided by society, an individual can choose the extent to which he or she will adhere to the customs, traditions, and expectations of society. People may follow the beliefs they have in order to express their individual identity whether they concur or contradict with the opinions of society. By following their own truth, people can lead truly happy, mature lives. If order and structure takes precedence over individual needs, people are forced to lose identity and purpose. Thoreau explains in Walden, “I went to the woods...[to] see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” (203). A life focused on society disregarding individuality results in an empty, mechanical life not worth living. Thus, people must take the romantic approach to life and form their own truth by evaluating the beliefs of society.

While emphasizing individuality is necessary to become a happy, mature person, one does not necessarily disregard structure and order in doing so. Accepting or rejecting the truths dictated by society has no effect on the existence of order in an individual’s life. Even the philosophies of the most romantic thinkers provide structure and order for the individual. Simply, a different type of order exists. In his writings, Emerson provides an order based on romantic ideals. He continually promotes individual freedom and thought. Man thinking absorbs knowledge provided by society and evaluates it for himself. Emerson suggests people should create their own order. By analyzing the structure provided by society, each individual, no matter how radical, creates a set of morals or truths for him or herself. These conclusions that people have drawn are the order and structure by which they live. Thus, order cannot be completely disregarded. One might argue that focus on individual needs results in anarchy and the desolation of society. However, if individual needs are truly addressed, this situation will not occur. If given the opportunity to think independently, people would conclude that structure and society is necessary and beneficial. This provides for the structure everyone craves while being a result of independent thought rather than blindly following authority.

The universal struggle between an individual’s need for freedom and identity versus one’s craving for strucutre and order is constant. A mature, happy individual resolves this conflict by focusing primarily on his or her romantic nature. People must find what is truth to themselves by evaluating the ideals provided by society. In doing so, each person leads a meaningful content life, while also producing the structure and order humans find necessary. This structure is different for each individual. When given the opportunity to think independantly, people choose to have a type of structure or order in their lives. This innate common order is shared by all human beings.