On the other hand I believe that I would be able to find a lot out about myself, what I believe, what I appreciate, and see how the simple life would be. It would sure be a wake up call.
I know his whole reason was to isolate himself from the rest of society, but with reading his books I have a hard time about how his ideas come off about the economy. It seems as though he thought that if you had a stable job, then you lost who you were. You lose all the beliefs, joys, and dreams that you had for yourself. He also mentioned that without having to work, you can be true to yourself. I have a hard time believing that. Yes, when you have a 9-5 job Monday through Friday, it is hard to do everything you always immediately want to do. People still have dreams and joys in what they do.
Anyway, just wanted to share.
What do you think? Do you believe you have lost some of your dreams?
I must say that 1) I am glad others struggle with Thoreau, and 2) I apologize for any offense that may have occurred concerning my attitudes toward him. When I was in high school, I didn't like anything about Walden (and I already stated that a couple of weeks ago) because I am a realist and I don't think he had a reality check. As an adult, I am still a realist, but I will admit that his writing is beautiful - what a command of the English language! However, I will always have a hard time buying into his ideas and beliefs.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine has a picture of Walden Pond as a backdrop on her cell phone. She promised that when I get to the pond, my attitudes towards Thoreau will change. We have a bet as to who will win! I've already planned what to do with the spoils! :) Pat
I'm pretty sure that if I had to live a solitary life for 2 years I'd be seriously depressed. I feel best when I am working hard toward completing projects and achieving goals. I think I know myself well enough to know that I couldn't do what he did. I suppose that is part of Transcendentalist belief too, that I follow my own conscience.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend who wanted to live as Thoreau and once told me that he would rather die than to have to purchase a vacuum cleaner. He drifted into Moab and lived along the river and up in the mountains. I would see him every 6-8 weeks. After about a year of this he broke down and purchased a small piece of land in Colorado and he even admitted to buying a vacuum for his little house.
ReplyDeleteAs an experiment, Thoreau's life would be fine, as a lasting reality- it seems unrealistic. At least for me, as I value the ideas and warmth of others, it would not work.
I always think that I'd just like to be a woman of leisure and do as I pleased. But when I'm honest with myself I realize that I love the society of friends, the drive of meeting a deadline, etc. It might be nice for a couple of weeks in the summer, though you'd hardly get things ready and it would be over.
ReplyDelete