Self-will is what? The meaning, definition and interpretation

Self-will is a wonderful word. And it's great that in the topic of its meanings and synonyms one can discuss deeper issues of human existence: about fate, freedom and unfreedom, because without them the term "self-will" is difficult to interpret.

Value

We have a wonderful occasion, but the word is not very good by its content. We did not come up with this, the dictionary told us. The concept of "self-will" has two meanings:

1. A characteristic feature of a person is to act as dictates his passions, desires, even if it contradicts the customs, laws and opinions of others. Probably, the last one should be put on the first place. A textbook example of self-will can serve as the image of the Old Woman from "Tales of a Fisherman and a Fish" by A.S. Pushkin.
2. Behavior, which is dictated by this very feature. For example, the boss at work makes everyone sing in chorus, even those who do not have a hearing and a voice.

Self-will is an aspiration that is born from the power of desire. It's probably good to want something, but the problem of a person blinded by desire is that he does not realize the existence of both external and internal reality. In other words, on the one hand, there is an objective social and physical reality, and on the other hand, a person's natural or developed abilities. For example, if an old woman from a fairy tale realized that when she received a trough, she was already very lucky, then the final collapse would not have happened, and so ... Needless to say, many of us are killed by greed and another conviction that the source of blessings will be always. Perhaps, therefore, the Old Woman from Pushkin's fairy tale is an archetype.

Before moving on to synonyms, one can fully answer the question of what self-will is, the definition will be as follows. Self-will is the tendency of a person to obey his passions and desires, to go against the public opinion and common sense, sometimes even with a risk to life.

Synonyms

While there are no substitute words for "self-will", it is not very clear meaning. Do not worry, the language analogs will not keep you waiting. Here they are:

• Tyranny;
• Arbitrariness;
• Autocracy;
• Stubbornness;

The dictionary leaves no hope for our hero. If you look only at synonyms for the word "self-will", there can be no doubt - the phenomenon is unequivocally bad. Verdict can not be appealed. Fortunately, reality is more complex than definitions. We now turn to the interpretation of the term.

Purposefulness and self-will

In fact, it is extremely difficult to distinguish a reasonable volitional act from an unreasonable one. Imagine that people climb up the hill. One because he argued with friends, and the other, to break the world record for high-speed lift. The second society will praise, people will say: "Well done! Purposeful! "To the first, only the rude word" tyrant "will be rewarded. Note that the action is the same. Hence, self-will is a question, first of all, motivation and absence or presence of a certain social sanction, that is, for the sake of sporting achievements one can climb mountains, but simply because of a whim - it is impossible. But the person looks pretty at the top of the mountain, do not believe it? Look at the photo. Why not conquer the summit for the sake of aesthetics? The society is against such a senseless risk by itself.

The underground man F.M. Dostoevsky and the debate about freedom and self-will

There is a well-known view that freedom is something so kind, bright, suggesting the border and the framework of the reasonable. Self-will is, on the contrary, something dark, terrible, bubbling, coming from chaos. We have an unconsciously almost Nietzschean confrontation between the Apollo and the Dionysian principle.

And then suddenly there is an underground man with his famous truth: above all, people put an independent desire. So, even if he is shown the right way and, moreover, he himself perfectly understands that it would be wiser to listen to the advice, nevertheless a person will reject all moral and ethical reasons for the sweetness of self-will. Fyodor Mikhailovich wanted it or not, but he gave a certain canon of freedom in Russian. Our man craves freedom without any shackles, the need for restrictions for autocracy is only realized by a European. The interpretation of the word "self-will" can not be simple, too much is associated with it in the fate of Russia.

Love breaks down barriers. "Romeo and Juliet"

The irrationality of man terrifies many, and love is its first representative. When people think of something so non-utilitarian, then immediately the associative insanity of passion emerges as an example. Naturally, the meaning of the word "self-will" without love can not do. Why go off the beaten track, take Shakespeare, one of his most famous tragedies - "Romeo and Juliet." Of course, both teenagers repaired self-will. Yes, lovers acted stupidly, but is not the enmity of families, indirectly deprived the young man and the girl of life, not the same recklessness in itself? And only after so many deaths, the older generation realized how far the enmity had gone. Therefore, self-will can be considered a bad word, but sometimes the phenomenon itself breaks down the barriers and boundaries that it has long been time to go to the archive.

"Brave Heart" and another example of productive self-will

A remarkable film by Mel Gibson, released in 1995, is a symbol of freedom, and the battle for independence of Scotland, according to the movie, began with the act of defiance, the willfulness of William Wallace. The hero did not want to share his wife with an English aristocrat. Although everyone obeyed, and Wallace decided to rebel. Then the uprising was transformed from personal to public and eventually led to the independence of Scotland.

What does the example say? The fact that the dictionary is not always right, but life is complex and diverse. Alone with this deep thought, we leave the reader. We fulfilled our task: we examined the meaning, synonyms for the word "self-will" and selected illustrations for it.