I believe Thoreau had a good point in his philosophy about society. I believe that it can be very relevant in today’s culture, even more so than it was in his. It is also true that society could benefit greatly if everyone would go out and live a “simple” life for a year or two. Then maybe people would appreciate what they currently have more than they do now, and possibly even see the real point in life, as well.
We, as a people in general, are so caught up in trivial disputes and petty possessions that we lose meaning to the way life should be. We only see the gold at the end of the race, and not all the joys in the attaining of that gold. If we only stopped along the way, we would be all the wiser for it. Thoreau felt that he lived in a fast-paced society, but all the more is society now. With instant this and that, with the ability to talk or see anyone in the world within a matter of minutes, we are controlled by technology. If we do not have a calculator, we have difficulty using our brains. If our computer crashes, it’s as if someone just destroyed your lifeline. This are trivial in the actuality of life. The real point is to see what is along the way, to take our time and smell the roses, so to speak.
If everyone would only take a year or two off from their popular lives to go out into the woods and experience the pleasures in doing things for themselves, then maybe they would see the joys in life itself, instead of pointing out its faults. It seems the more “advanced” our society gets, in degrees, it gets that much less advanced. Our minds are critical and cynical. Generally we do not see life as something to be experienced to the fullest, but as something to trudge through begrudgingly until our dying day. Just possibly, if people were to go and live Thoreau’s “simple” life plan, they might see what else there is to life, and enjoy it all the more for this experience.
While we wade through the trials and tribulations of our everyday lives, we shouldn’t lose perspective of the goals ahead of ourselves. But with this in mind, we also need to remember that life is not a race, everyone walks at their own pace, and thus it’s true in life. Not everyone needs to move at the same speed, and those who do move quickly along the road of life need to remember that it’s not a freeway but merely a country lane. And along this lane are the beautiful sights and experiences that everyone is free to see if only they’d take the time to stop and look around.
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