“Obviously we can’t all run away to the woods like Thoreau and live the life of a hermit but we can try to find our own special Walden, wherever that may be, and commit to doing our very best. We must never forget that Walden is not just a geographical point somewhere in the New England landscape but a state of mind, an attitude of simple living that can be transported anywhere, anytime, if we so decide.”(Lewin, Michael) Michael Lewin stated the unquestionable fact that while life is forever changing from one generation to another, it is important that we realize the relevance Thoreau still has in today’s world. There are many things that today’s society does against the advisement of Thoreau, yet there are also many ways in which his
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Thoreau firmly believed that nature was to be respected and that there was an element of great aptitude that you cannot achieve from anything else. Within Thoreau’s work of Walden, he writes in his first paragraph of The Conclusion, “I did not wish to take a cabin passage, but rather go before the mast and on the deck of the world, for there I could best see the moonlight amid the mountains. I do not wish to go below.” Thoreau tells in his dancing words that while there are many things for him, nothing shall ever exceed that which is our nature. Although there are individuals who still believe this, the numbers of people who have learned to care less and less about the world is sickeningly high. As stated in his article in The Guardian, on “Why We Couldn’t Care Less about the Natural World,” George Monboit writes, “That didn't take long. The public interest in the state of the natural world stimulated by the winter floods receded almost as quickly as the waters did. A YouGov poll showed that the number of respondents placing the environment among their top three issues of concern rose from 6% in mid-January to 23% in mid-February. By early April – though the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had just published two massive and horrifying reports – the proportion had fallen back to 11%.” (Monboit, George) So while we would all like to …show more content…
When speaking of the serenity that Thoreau found in the wilderness, he also describes the beauty that was nature. In his ninth paragraph of Walden, Thoreau explains how this beauty is the ultimate muse for all forms of art. Thoreau writes, “The morning wind forever blows, the poem of creation is uninterrupted; but few are the ears that hear it. Olympus is but the outside of the earth everywhere.” Thoreau believed that the earth and her beauty was an infinite muse for those who chose to listen, today that thought is still present. When Ruth Atchley conducted a study that revealed a group of backpackers were 50% more creative than a group who did not get into nature and hike. The study documents, “The lead researcher in the study–Ruth Ann Atchley–explains that the constant distractions and stimulation of modern life are a threat, and they sap our resources. When we’re in nature our minds can drop down those threat responses, which leaves us with leftover resources which we can apply to being more creative.” (Atchley, Ruth) While some of Thoreau’s ideas are not consistent with contemporary views, the idea that nature is a creative muse is going to remain
Thoreau firmly believed that nature was to be respected and that there was an element of great aptitude that you cannot achieve from anything else. Within Thoreau’s work of Walden, he writes in his first paragraph of The Conclusion, “I did not wish to take a cabin passage, but rather go before the mast and on the deck of the world, for there I could best see the moonlight amid the mountains. I do not wish to go below.” Thoreau tells in his dancing words that while there are many things for him, nothing shall ever exceed that which is our nature. Although there are individuals who still believe this, the numbers of people who have learned to care less and less about the world is sickeningly high. As stated in his article in The Guardian, on “Why We Couldn’t Care Less about the Natural World,” George Monboit writes, “That didn't take long. The public interest in the state of the natural world stimulated by the winter floods receded almost as quickly as the waters did. A YouGov poll showed that the number of respondents placing the environment among their top three issues of concern rose from 6% in mid-January to 23% in mid-February. By early April – though the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had just published two massive and horrifying reports – the proportion had fallen back to 11%.” (Monboit, George) So while we would all like to …show more content…
When speaking of the serenity that Thoreau found in the wilderness, he also describes the beauty that was nature. In his ninth paragraph of Walden, Thoreau explains how this beauty is the ultimate muse for all forms of art. Thoreau writes, “The morning wind forever blows, the poem of creation is uninterrupted; but few are the ears that hear it. Olympus is but the outside of the earth everywhere.” Thoreau believed that the earth and her beauty was an infinite muse for those who chose to listen, today that thought is still present. When Ruth Atchley conducted a study that revealed a group of backpackers were 50% more creative than a group who did not get into nature and hike. The study documents, “The lead researcher in the study–Ruth Ann Atchley–explains that the constant distractions and stimulation of modern life are a threat, and they sap our resources. When we’re in nature our minds can drop down those threat responses, which leaves us with leftover resources which we can apply to being more creative.” (Atchley, Ruth) While some of Thoreau’s ideas are not consistent with contemporary views, the idea that nature is a creative muse is going to remain