The Simple Things

During the 1840s, Henry David Thoreau set off into the woods to live alone for the purpose of finding himself. He was very concerned about growing old without experiencing everything he could. Thoreau famously puts “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” (271). He found himself displeased with the way he was living and…

suffered a traumatic incident in which both of his feet froze due to the bitter Alaskan cold. This accident causes severe damage to him, both physically and mentally. However, through the animals he surrounds himself with he feels a joy that no man made thing could ever give him. This joy not only helps him heal from his accident, but also gives him a sense of peace. Nature also provided John Thornton with another peace, peace of salvation. In a way, you can say that Buck represents nature, as…

What is "the good life?" Ask anyone this question, and they will give you a different answer than someone else. For most Americans, an image comes with their answer, a dream of a white-picket fence, lounging in the sun, and a loving family. For others, the image is of overflowing piles of money, parties more fantastic than your wildest imaginings, and an exhilarating lifestyle. The interpretation of "the good life" varies from person to person and culture to culture. In psychology, it is defined…

Baptist Church in Moberly, Missouri embodies the value of obedience, which members strive to practice in and outside of the church. This is just one value that many members believe are essential to the organization. Although these values mean different things and are practiced and symbolized in different ways by the Amish culture and my organization, the purpose behind these values is the same. The value of…

living the simple life as three-year olds do. Our lives were simple until we met each other, two parents, a few pets, then it changed. We began as enemies, always competing, for things such as each other’s parent’s attention, another friend, or things as simple as who got to act out the role of ‘mom’ while playing…

society to reject materialism. Both men lived by the idea of being simple. Thoreau said “Our life is frittered…

Simple living has long been linked to spirituality, and likewise many expressions of spirituality also have been historically linked to simplicity. Jesus embodied a life of compassionate simplicity. The Bible speaks about the need to find a balance between the material and spiritual aspects of life: “Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.” Eastern spiritual traditions also encourage a life of material moderation and spiritual…

otherwise would be closed. However, Thoreau again reflects in the essay “Economy” by stating that, “the cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run” (29). Therefore, he echoes the argument that money, or items purchased, can only be measured in the time given up to acquire them. However, while living a simple life, materialistic items have less value over time. Inner peace and freedom carry a greater merit,…

comes with creating or coming up with something, like he did by building his own house.By speaking of creation, he does not try to raise his standards or raise himself to the level of God. He instead tries to show that we can all live independent simple lives by simply modifying what God has already created to our preference. Henrywritesof when he builds a house in Walden Pond and views it as a re-enactment of God’s creation of the universe.The same way that God created the world into a fit…

fuel, and clothing. By having these four necessities in life a person can conserve their energy. Thoreau wants everybody to slow down and reconnect with real time which is nature 's time. By slowing down, people have the time to reevaluate on some things that going on in their life. Also, Thoreau stated in his story that “The laboring man has not leisure for a true integrity day by day; he cannot afford to sustain the manliest relations to men; his labor would be depreciated in the market. He…