"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary, I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion.’" -Henry David Thoreau
When written, Henry David Thoreau was describing his own experience living a Spartan life in the woods, for 2 years and 2 months, in a 10’ x 15’, one room house he built himself on a piece of land he borrowed from Ralph Waldo Emerson. In exchange for the use of the land he worked on Emerson’s 14 acres clearing brush, re-planting trees (the result of a 300 acre fire caused by Thoreau and friend Edward Hoar), and building gardens, working an average of one day per week or about seven weeks out of the year. Thoreau used mostly reclaimed and second hand materials that he augmented with natural materials found on the property and at the waters edge giving him a total construction cost of about $28 - $29 dollars. By adjusting for inflation the same structure by today’s standards would cost $1500 to $3000, still cheap by anyone’s standard.
Even in the 1840’s when Thoreau was living in solitude at Walden Pond it was not the sort of endeavor that could be undertaken by a person of average means. Thoreau, a graduate of Harvard, worked most of his adult life in his fathers business, in addition to running his own school for several years which put him in a position, financially, to take a couple years off from everyday life and devote himself to his “experiment in solitude”. I am not saying that he was financially supported by his family, but he was always assured of a place to stay, at his family home, and a source of income, through the family business, that he could return to at any time he chose which allowed him to pursue his dreams with a serenity derived from the certainty of his preservation.
So what about the American dream of self reliance for the average person today? That pioneering spirit that made our country great, that “go west young man” attitude! Is it gone for ever, or can it still be achieved by anyone with enough strength of character and fortitude to give it a try? I think it can. In fact I believe that right now, here in America, bad economy and all, that we are in a perfect place to achieve the “simplicity” that Thoreau sought during his time in Walden Woods through the emergence of alternative energy sources, some of the new “green building” practices that have been implemented over the last few years, good old hard work, and by cutting out the things that we can really live without.
From what I can tell, Thoreau believed that happiness and peace of mind came when all of the “material” distractions were removed and you were left with only the basics. He proved it by living as simply as he could, a fireplace to heat his dwelling and to cook on, a bed and dresser, a table and chair, and a writing desk. It left him free to concentrate on what was important to him, his writing. Though we may not all be writers or deep thinkers, like Thoreau, I believe we can learn something from his experiment that would relieve some of the stresses in life that we face today and give us some of that “simplistic” peace of mind Thoreau was after. Namely, simplify your life!
Do we have to leave everything behind and live in a single room cabin in the woods to do it? No, but it may be fun for a while or as a weekend retreat! I am talking more about the way we look at life in general. Do we have to have a second (or third) car to get around town? How about the newest smart phone or laptop computer? Do they really add that much to your overall well being, or do they make it impossible for you to be disconnected enough to even collect your thoughts? Have we as a people become afraid to spend time alone with nothing but our thoughts to keep us company? Though it is sad to say, we have and the results to our economy and our quality of life as a nation have suffered drastically for it. In the last 20-25 years we have switched from being a nation of manufacturers and innovators to a nation of consumers which has in that short period of time collapsed our economic base and destroyed our children’s work ethic. Through our own greed to get the next raise that “we deserve”, or our lust to have the “latest & greatest” thing on the market we have forced our manufacturing to go to other countries where they can actually afford to produce the products that we want. The problem is, now that we have forced our jobs out of the way, how are we going to pay for what we want or even provide for our basic needs? It has caused us as a nation to stop and take a good look at itself, but in doing so we have to be willing to take the steps necessary to stop our downward plunge and start climbing back to the surface.
That simplifying we were talking about is, I believe, the place to start. For example, when your cell phone contract allows you to “upgrade” to the newest phone (for a small fee added to you bill), take a look at the phone you have. Does it work? Is it in decent shape? It may not have all the latest gadgets but you will save a little by keeping it a while longer. What about your internet connection, with the exception of a few government agencies and financial firms, do we really have to have the fastest connection for $60-$70 a month when we can settle for a mid range connection like DSL for around $30 a month. One of my favorites is the TV, time and time again I have heard someone say “100 channels and still nothing is on”, why spend that much money for cable or satellite when you can get broadcast television for free. Granted, you have a wider range of choices when you want to watch something, but if enough people stopped subscribing to those services how long do you think it would take before Broadcast Television started airing more of the sporting events, and movies people were asking for? They use too! Better yet, how about turning the electronic devises off altogether a few times a week and going outside. You would save money on your electrical bill, get some of the exercise that we all can use more of, and… dare I say it….. have a chance to collect your thoughts! You may even have time to think up the next “Latest & Greatest” thing to hit the market!
To some it up, I will go back to Thoreau and what he thought about his time alone with his thoughts:
"I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours....
If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."
-Henry David Thoreau
(The above picture, Circa 1908, is the site of Thoreau’s cabin in Walden Woods)
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