Monday, June 24, 2013

Henry David Thoreau's, Walden, Hardest Book Ever To Follow

The rambling words of Thoreau still ring true today.  He could of just used a lot less words.

Have you ever tried to read something written over 150 years ago?  I've not, accept Shakespeare.  I got turned on to Henry David Thoreau by another author I was reading, Gary Bond, Rethinking Life on the Appalachian Trail: The 2008 Thru-hike of "Rethinker".  He mentioned several times how Thoreau's book "Walden" had inspired him to rethink his lot it life and what he had valued and coveted.  It all sounded right in line with my personal demons and thought I better read this Thoreau guy's stuff.  I downloaded several books, along with "Walden", to my Kindle for later.

Well, I've started reading "Walden" and right now I'm completely unimpressed.  It is the most rambling, disjointed style of writing I've ever had to read.  It has no sense of direction, or coherence.  It really just seems like a bunch of drunk talk from a frustrated individual.  ( I should know I've been there before).  Maybe that is just how the wrote pre-civil war.  If the yankees, Thoreau is from Massachusetts, all talked like he writes it is no wonder we had the war.

I'm going to keep pressing on to see if it ever becomes an actual story.  I can say to this point the general jest of it seems to touch on things that still ring true today.  Consumerism, putting on aires, being in debt up to your eyeballs for no damn good reason.  I illustrated one of his observations that most people don't own their home, never will, and only wind up working to keep the home and it becomes more of a prison or burden than a pleasure.  I paraphrased him, and I'm not even in the mood to elaborate more, you go read it.

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