Lots of us feel the pressure of modern living and looking for the means to relax and feel more joy. There are classic works showing us people throughout history felt many of the same burdens and anxieties. These works have stood the test of time and still have something to teach us.
One of the most well known of these works is Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. Thoreau felt the same pressures many of us feel today and went out into the Massachusetts woods, but not actually that far out, to find some peace.
Thoreau investigates the themes of solitude and society, simplicity over “the latest and greatest”, nature, spirituality, joy of work, and self-reliance. These are things that call to many of us.
Why It’s a Good Read for Us Today
As I ponder my day-to-day life I find each of these themes terribly relevant. Solitude is glorious, yet I like to go out and talk to other people. Simplicity is my standard MO, but many people find the latest technology, the kind that does everything for you, more simple. Nature is a theme I value beyond measure. Spirituality is part and parcel with nature. For me nature and spirituality are part of the same theme. The joy of work becomes more clear when we don’t have a boss to answer to or an office we have to be in at specified hours. Doing work gives human beings fulfillment. Self-reliance is a goal for me but only in my physical needs. Human beings are social animals and I’m an extrovert, so there’s no way I could find social or emotional self-reliance. Everyone’s definition of simplicity, self-reliance, joy of work, and spirituality is different. We all have to do what’s right for each of us. The wisdom of this work is that what’s right for each one of us is in self-examination.
We’re still interested
This wisdom in Walden calls to so many of us, in the day and age, the website walden.org draws folks to try to absorb some of that peace and insight.
Nothing I have to say is new or revolutionary, but the fact that so many people still feel the anxiety and pressure tells me there’s no harm in saying it again.
You can find this work, and many other Classics, at Gutenberg.org. Find you next Classic read.
Have you read Walden? Are you a minimalist? Do you identify with the themes Thoreau addresses in Walden? Tell me about how you find you peace in the comments below?