“My purpose in going to Walden Pond was not to live cheaply nor to live dearly there, but to transact some private business with the fewest obstacles.” – Henry David ThoreauBook club members tackled a classic last month. Most of us had dim memories of reading “Walden” in high school, but I doubt if any of us could have understood the significance of the book back then. “Walden” is Thoreau’s philosophical gift to the world, and many passages are as relevant today as when they first published the book in 1854. But the above quote is somewhat misleading because Thoreau goes on and on, ad nauseam, pounding the reader over the head with his description of how to live on the “cheap,” so much so that it distracts from his real message.This is a shame because “Walden” contains many beautiful passages that urge the reader to stop, reflect on the important things in life and enjoy the wonders nature has to offer. Further, Thoreau cautions humans against pursuing objects to the point that your possessions own you. He points out that the majority of people in Concord, Mass., did not own their homes or farms but had huge mortgages, forcing them to work their entire life to pay off the loans. In our current culture of vast credit card debt, perhaps his philosophy is worth studying.Thoreau retreated to Walden Pond, outside the town of Concord, to reflect on life and enjoy nature. Those of us living in areas surrounded by houses may look at his adventure with a sense of envy when he writes, “My nearest neighbor is a mile distant, and no house is visible.”He talks about plants, birds, the sounds of the pond coming to life after a harsh winter and the beauty of standing in the arch of a rainbow, “which filled the lower stratum of the atmosphere, tingling the grass and leaves around.” Unfortunately, when he has to borrow an axe to build his cabin, the reader can’t help but think maybe he should have given a little more thought to making an income.Thoreau claimed all mankind really needs is food, clothing, shelter and fuel. He has no need for coffee, tea, or wine, and said, “many of the so called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind.” He doesn’t need a post office, and scoffs at reading newspapers because they contain nothing but “gossip.” But he spends a chapter talking about reading, expressing the opinion that unless you learn to “read the ancient classics in the language in which they were written” you cannot understand human history. Somehow, Thoreau forgot that the education necessary to learn Greek and Latin usually requires money. Books, which he deeply loves, also were very expensive to own when he wrote “Walden.”In fact, Thoreau seemed to be able to throw off the trappings of society because of the education he received early in life. Self-reliance, Thoreau’s major theme, is easy if someone else already provided you with the means to make a living.Not all club members shared my cynical view. Jodi Stratford believes Thoreau’s poverty was voluntary, something that he chose rather than seeking material goods. Tom Prebles said Thoreau was not a Luddite, cursing progress. In fact, Thoreau pointed out how the railroad brought cotton from the south, to be turned into blankets in the factories in Massachusetts, which in turn were shipped to the entire country. Tom thinks Walden was about having more balance in your life, not following the crowd, but taking time to enjoy life. And he quoted Thoreau’s most famous verse: “Why should we be in such desperate haste to succeed and in such desperate enterprises? If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away”The philosophy expressed in “Walden” is worth the read, if you can look past Thoreau’s self-importance. Perhaps a glass of wine would help.Note: On Thurs., Sept. 29 at 6:30 p.m., the group will be discussing the “Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver. Stop by Espresso Stratfords and join in the conversation.
