Walden

A book about Living Deliberately Not Automatically

There were multiple notable poets in the 1800’s that gained recognition for their books and essays that they created. The book that has stood out in my mind was the book of Walden by Henry David Thoreau. The message the author was trying to visually convey throughout his writing of this book was one we are still trying to teach the new generation. Our children these days don’t see the simplicity of what life and nature have to offer because they have grown up with life and material things given to them. Unlike our generation, Thoreau wasn’t materialistic or predictable, in fact he embodied individuality as evidenced by his belief in free thought, free will, and self-reliance.

Henry David Thoreau was an American poet, essayist, and philosopher born July 12, 1817. He lived a majority of his life in Concord, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard in 1837 and shortly after began a friendship with another philosopher named Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson developed a paternal interest in Thoreau and became his mentor. Thoreau was a philosopher of nature and its relation to human condition. He began to adopt Emerson’s Transcendental Ideas. Transcendentalism was an American version of Romantic Idealism, a dualistic Neoplatonic view of the world divided into the material and the spiritual. For the Transcendentalist, the secret of successful living was to hold oneself above material concerns as much as possible and focus on the spiritual (“Thoreau’s Legacy”)

The book Walden by Henry David Thoreau is an account of his life at Walden Pond, where he spent two years examining the fundamentals of humanity. His experiment consisted of stripping away those distractions, living deliberately instead of automatically, and following the inclinations that arose within him in the solitude, silence, and leisure of his simplified life. He retreated from nonessentials to explore what remained as the core of human identity, assuming that human identity is not based on one’s profession or possessions or social connections. Thoreau’s exploration of his identity was founded on individualism rather than membership in any cultural group. In fact, for him, allegiance to any group was perilous, liable to distract or seduce one away from fidelity to one’s personal values and highest calling. For Thoreau, the conditions that favored human fulfillment were quiet concentration, simple labor, and a life attentive to the lessons of nature (“Walden by Henry David Thoreau”).

Walden is said to be considered Thoreau’s masterpiece.

It has influenced conservationists, writers, philosophers, activists and individuals of all professions and passions. None of that would have happened, however, if Thoreau had carried out his experiment and kept it to himself; it was by sharing his story that he inspired so many people and changed the world. Henry’s messages of simple, deliberate living; spirituality in nature; and conservation are present throughout his works but achieved little recognition in his own lifetime. It was only after his death and in the following century that his writing became well known and appreciated. Thoreau’s writing did not change, society changed (“Thoreau’s Legacy”). He was able to prove by his experience that it was possible to live simply and not need all these external distractions to prove he had a life worth living. He lived for individuality and promoted self-reliance. He also proved in the book the importance of personal and moral values. To stand up as an individual for what you believe in. I personally feel his message was received by a vast majority, although I can’t say all have adopted his virtue, I can say that I have.

“What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.” (“Ralph Waldo Emerson Quote”)

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