What do I believe? What do I think? What are my opinions? In any given moment, how do I actually feel about myself and the world around me, apart from the constant influence of the society I live in? These can feel like impossibly difficult questions to answer, yet they may be among the most important. And perhaps the hardest question of all: if I truly knew the answers, would I embrace them… or run from them?

In this week’s episode, I explore the idea of self-reliance as taught by the Transcendentalists, with a particular focus on Henry David Thoreau and his attempt to live it fully. Using imagination as a guide, we ask what it might look like to be yourself without the pressure to conform, and whether, if given the chance, you’d trust the person you find.