Only Thing Thoreau example essay topic

Henry David Thoreau, naturalist and transcendentalist, discusses several important subjects in the self-authored book Walden. A cardinal topic that keeps repeating in the book is that of maintaining a simpler -yet superior- existence, as this quote by Thoreau illustrates: "I am convinced, both by faith and experience, that to maintain one's self on this earth is not a hardship, but a pastime, if we will live simply and wisely... ". This statement is quite true and, given the provisos of living, would benefit every facet of life in some way.

Indeed, Thoreau's comments in the year 2003 are more applicable than ever before. In support of what he says, Thoreau makes do with only the necessaries of life and receives a precious gift, time, for a simpler being. Thus, if society were to at least take note of Thoreau's suggestions, we would all be much better off. I am in complete accord with the philosophy of obtaining a better life simply, as life has grown complex. Since man as a whole transformed into an intelligent species, life has grown more and more challenging and perplexing. At one time it was just cavemen living in simple, however cold, adobes of rock.

Then came evolution, first the making of fire, and then civilization. With this power, so came more responsibility: taxes, loaning, mortgage, shopping, competition, work, sacrifice, overtime, technology and more, and all in some ways necessary to survive. In the instance of mortgage, if one buys a house, then he or she has to pay completely and consistently to pay it off or said person is quite simply out of shelter, thus not meeting all of Thoreau's requirement for living: food and water, clothing, fuel, and shelter. Similarly, people doing stocks on Wall Street are heavily dependant on laptop computers and cell phones. Why is this? Life has become so fast paced and hectic that they have become necessities in order to be able to do business; strip a businessman or woman of said accessories and their fragile way of life crumbles.

It is no small statement that no other species on the face of the Earth has come to rival the complexity, or hardships, of human civilization. Then again, who really wants to be entangled in the modern definition of life? Thoreau's words are prophetical in that they are truer for today's hustle and bustle than ever before. It is ironic in ways, considering his complaints were targeted at the people of his era.

Nevertheless, life is hard because it is made to be so complex and frantic. Students are pushed to excel in every subject in school, when, in theory, it is completely unnecessary for a novelist to have extensive knowledge into the workings of photosynthesis, for example. If one does not excel in his or her studies, peers and parents alike tend to look down upon them. According to Thoreau, people slave away to get the big bucks, a big house, and lots of stuff. It is safe to say that most upper class folk probably enjoy those things, but they most likely face many hardships in order to maintain their way of life. For example, it takes times to make the money to pay for the stuff; a big house requires the payment of a big mortgage; and in the end, it takes constant, nonstop work to maintain this style of living; for what?

To impress the neighbors who got a Lincoln Navigator by buying a Hummer 2? It is much more practical to acquire a smaller, but more cost effective vehicle; Thoreau believes you would get the last laugh in the end as the neighbors will still be paying the mortgage when you finally own your vehicle. Granted, the neighborhood will not be envious, but you will not have to work that extra week that you planned to go on a vacation on. And that is the core of Thoreau's ideology: simpler is better, both in terms of resources and time. Thoreau backed up his words by proving that one can live at a bare minimum level and still enjoy a grandiose life. While what he did may not be extravagant, Thoreau was a naturalist after all, and while there is no argument that he lived in a manner completely opposite of the wealthy, it made him happy and he received a precious gift for his sacrifice.

With his forfeit of luxuries, he needed not to worry about time, for he had to work only six weeks in a year to be able to maintain his existence near Walden Pond in his log cabin. Was he a Harvard graduate? Yes. Could he have become a wealthy pencil maker by inheriting his father's pencil factory? Yes. Simply put, none of this interested him and he sought something else, something simpler: that is, being in contact with nature and working basically to maintain a life, then spending the rest of the time in enjoying life.

While it is unrealistic to recreate such a polar way of life today, Thoreau's paradigms demonstrate that the extras in life can be forsaken and life can still be enjoyable. As mentioned, why do you need to impress and surpass your neighbors? Live for yourself and not for anyone else. Nevertheless, Thoreau is not forcing anyone to adhere to what he says; he is simply trying to give good advice.

If you want to compete, show off, and be rich and famous, then you have the ability and the absolute right; the only thing Thoreau is saying is that the it must be taken into account that life is forfeit for the luxuries that human beings inherently envy. In all, human society is stuck in the proverbial rut, forever repeating its mistakes and foolishly attempting to accomplish a so called worthy existence, not knowing that there are other, better alternatives. The fact of the matter is that Thoreau is completely accurate that living simply and wisely can better affect life. If people relinquish their lives to work in order to achieve and maintain a higher-class existence, then they must have a purpose. However, the purpose, to Thoreau is foolish and it is much better to have less, but be happy. Time is the crucial element one can reap by listening to Thoreau, and is one thing in terribly short supply in this day and age.

That is not to say Thoreau is forcing anyone to do what he is suggesting and, in fact, he makes it clear that he just wants to make it known to the people that there is another way. In short, a simple equation shows the two option available to us: work more to get more stuff and be unhappy, or work less, get more time and be happy.