The importance of self-reliance

PUBLISHED: January 23, 2026 | www.baltimoresun.com

Emancipate yourself from bondage to governments, mammoth institutions and fixation on the international chessboard by summoning self-reliance as your North Star. The challenge is great — but that is precisely what makes the triumph so sweet.

External forces in American life have grown from tiny acorns at the nation’s birth on July 4, 1776, into towering oaks that now dominate the landscape. It is increasingly difficult to escape the reach — or even the reverberations — of government and powerful institutions. They intrude upon our financial futures, our privacy and our sense of place in the world.

The United States government alone now spends more than $7 trillion annually on virtually everything under the sun. Roughly one-third of Americans receive direct government benefits. Nearly 30% of nonprofit organizations depend on government grants. More than a quarter of non-farm payrolls are linked to government contracts. A vast portion of the citizenry plans its future according to the vicissitudes of partisan politics, their spirits rising or plunging like a yo-yo with every flukish electoral outcome.

This is unhealthy.

Stress ages the body faster than a speeding bullet, and it distracts the soul from true salvation — from the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that flesh is heir to,” as Shakespeare reminds us.

What we need instead is philosophical serenity — and a return to self-mastery.

The best things we possess in life are not given by the world, and therefore cannot be taken away by it. Our joy. Our capacity to love. Our inner peace. Our faith in God. A man may break into your home and steal your earthly possessions. He may lie to you, deceive you or attempt to rob you of the truth. But there are treasures that can never be confiscated — unless you surrender them willingly.

We retain absolute sovereignty over our inner life. No external force can compel us to be bitter, mean-spirited, vengeful or uncharitable. No institution can confiscate wisdom. No election can erase character. No government edict can extinguish faith.

Here, we are wisely guided by the Serenity Prayer: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.

Self-reliance is not an abstraction. It is practiced daily, deliberately and with discipline. Every morning, I awaken early and run six miles — not because the world demands it, but because mastery of the body strengthens mastery of the mind. Each week, I read books that stretch my intellect, deepen my wisdom and expand my philosophical horizon. Knowledge pursued for its own sake cultivates freedom; wisdom applied with humility cultivates peace.

Each day offers an opportunity to practice unsparing kindness. Each day presents the chance to learn something worth sharing — without arrogance, without condescension. Remember always: The richest person in the world is the one who desires nothing beyond the essentials, while the poorest lives amid abundance yet remains enslaved by an insatiable craving for more.

Still tempted to join the club of billionaires? Consider the ancient tale of King Midas. His wish that everything he touched turn to gold was granted — only to become a curse. Unable to eat, drink or embrace his own daughter, Midas learned too late that wealth without wisdom is misery. His redemption came not through accumulation, but through renunciation — anticipating the enduring truth that man does not live by bread alone.

So whom would you choose: the grand conqueror Alexander — or the quiet philosopher Diogenes?

Alexander conquered the known world without ever pausing to ask why. His empire stretched across continents, yet vanished within a generation. Diogenes, possessing almost nothing, was offered anything he wished — and asked only that Alexander step aside and stop blocking his sun. Power was baffled by contentment. Authority stood confused before freedom.

The lesson endures.

Focus less on government and distant entities, and more on governing yourself. Invest less energy in forces beyond your control, and more in cultivating the life within your command. The world did not give you your deepest treasures — and it cannot take them away.

That is the quiet, enduring power of self-reliance.

Armstrong Williams (www.armstrongwilliams.com; @arightside) is a political analyst, syndicated columnist and owner of the broadcasting company, Howard Stirk Holdings. He is also part owner of The Baltimore Sun.

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