Thoreau's Influence On Society

Thoreau was a simple man, one who decided that living on his own in the woods was the only way to reach clarity. His philosophy is one that has changed the way that many people have looked at themselves and their place in society. However his society is a thing of the past. His society is one that had different values and norms. Stating that possessions create complication is obsolete, although his ideas are very relevant in terms of obsession, society has created a way for people to connect with the world around them and live fuller lives.
The 21st century has evolved in such a grand way that it has now become the norm to document our lives and share those moments with everyone. Some think that this leads to a ideology similar to that of narcissism, …show more content…
His idea of exorbitant wealth was more of a physical and expansionist detriment. Thoreau had the ideology that gaining land was the source of “quiet desperation”, as people would have to work long hard hours in the field and would be disconnected from others. As society has changed so has wealth, as it is now determined by the items owned to make living convenient. A current New York Times article masterfully articulated the way society has pressured us to feel the need to purchase things as soon as we have money. It has been found that people tend to buy in excess when they feel as though their success was only temporary. Hill, the writer of the Times article, realized that “the things [he] consumed ended up consuming [him]”. Hill was a young entrepreneur who had spent his money instantly on things that he wanted rather than needed. He had acquired so many homes, cars, and electronics that everything had become difficult to manage. Current wealth mainly offers mental degradation as we are constantly plagued by maintaining objects and often ignore the effects that continuous material upkeep causes. Yet, technology doesn’t create stresses unless we allow them to. People don’t need to upgrade their phone every time a new version comes out. For example people wait in lines for hours to get the newest iPhone when their old one still works fine. Owning things in surplus is a negative in this instance, people often buy too …show more content…
As a teen growing up in various stages of the lower middle class, I know plenty about living sustainably. Never in my life have I owned things in excess, I have valued everything I own with immense gratitude. Thoreau supplied his perspective with extremes, thinking as though everyone had lost themselves in the evolution of technology and the rapid growth of industrialism when that simply is not the case. People have found themselves growing closer to nature by combining what they’ve acquired over the years to see things differently, or by altogether leaving the norm and temporarily abandoning their material items. Nonetheless, Thoreau’s view of society was not one that felt that change can improve man’s ability to reach tranquility and a bigger connection with