"The world is but a canvass to our imagination."
~ Henry David Thoreau
On May 6, 1862 - 161 years ago today - Henry David Thoreau died from tuberculosis. Thoreau was just 44 years old when he died. He wound up dying at his parent's house right on Main Street in Concord, Massachusetts, in the presence of his mother and sister.
When describing his death later, his sister Sophia later wrote, "I feel as if something very beautiful had happened - not death."
Still, Thoreau remained mostly obscure in his own lifetime. Few knew of his writings, although there were some noted literary figures right in Thoreau's own hometown of Concord who not only knew of him, but were close friends of his. The most famous of these was Ralph Waldo Emerson, who Thoreau very much looked up to. Thoreau was also friendly with two other celebrated authors from Concord. He was friends with Nathaniel Hawthorne, and he taught Louisa May Alcott. Alcott was the daughter of Amos Bronson Alcott, who was one of the leading figures in Transcendentalism, and proved to be influential on Thoreau himself. Yet despite rubbing elbows with some historically prominent writers and activists of the day, still Thoreau's words and influence barely went beyond Concord in his own lifetime.
Obviously, despite his seeming obscurity during his own lifetime, Thoreau wound up being highly influential. His writings and words have become American classics, particularly Walden and Civil Disobedience. English reformer Henry Stephens Salt helped to spread Thoreau's writings and ideas to new audiences across the Atlantic. Indeed, so great did his influence and the power of his words and writings prove to be that he even inspired such noted historical and literary figures as John Muir, Leo Tolstoy, Gandhi (including Gandhi's eventual turn to vegetarianism), and Martin Luther King, Jr.. Indeed, he is often regarded as the father of the modern environmental movement. Even Nazi resistance fighters in Denmark adopted Thoreau's words and ideas in Civil Disobedience during the German occupation of that country. Since then, Thoreau's words have continued to inspire champions of environmental causes, as well as social disobedience movements. He truly has become a giant figure in American letters, philosophy, and political activism.
Yet, Thoreau only lived to be 44 years old. On this anniversary of his death in his beautiful hometown of Concord, it seems fitting to honor and celebrate his life and the power of his words which have, in a sense, made him immortal.
How Henry Thoreau’s Experience Living Alone in Nature Inspired Some of His Greatest Writings by Andrew Benson Brown, May 4, 2022:
https://www.theepochtimes.com/how-henry-thoreaus-experience-living-alone-in-nature-inspired-some-of-his-greatest-writings_4435305.html?fbclid=IwAR2MqNG0I5TJ-qQXcngdIAoSokqhnWWu2xu83pkgtTGaRvr7_fdQ9VBaqrY
Martin Luther King and Gandhi Weren’t the Only Ones Inspired By Thoreau’s ‘Civil Disobedience’ Thoreau’s essay became a cornerstone of 20th-century protest by Kat Eschner, July 12, 2017:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/martin-luther-king-and-gandhi-werent-only-ones-inspired-thoreaus-civil-disobedience-180963972/
Below I am republishing a post, complete with pictures, from a weekend visit to Walden Woods that I took with my son back in late June of 2016:
A Weekend at Walden Woods, originally published on June 30, 2016:
The first time that I really learned about Henry David Thoreau and Walden Woods, I was a young man fresh out of high school, and had joined the Environmental Club at my new school, Bergen Community College (BCC). Oh, I had learned about Thoreau in high school, officially. But as surely was mentioned here in previous posts, I was a truly terrible student back then. And so, while we were studying Thoreau's most prominent works, "Walden" and Civil Disobedience," my mind was elsewhere, and there was only the vaguest sense of what it was all about. The name might have been familiar, but anything more detailed would surely have been a mystery.
That would change in time, and it started to change not long after I graduated from high school. On the January after I graduated high school, I began to attend that aforementioned college, and wanted to find a way to be active. Having joined the Environmental Club at my high school for the final two years of my time there (it was the only club or activity that I was ever involved with there), it seemed natural to follow that up by getting involved with the one at the BCC.
There was a girl there, a cute girl who I was attracted to, and she had a kind of pet project. Being a big fan of Don Henley, she was following his fight to save Walden Woods from development, This made her feel passionate for the Walden Woods Project, and she got involved by selling copies of the book "Heaven is Under Our Feet," a book with numerous celebrity contributions designed to help raise funds to buy Walden Woods in order to preserve it from development. Needless to say, I purchased a copy.
It took me years to read that book, but I did peruse it, and was impressed with many of Thoreau's quotes. Also, Walden Woods began to be on my radar, and I began to want to visit it. At the time, I had only been to New England, or particularly Massachusetts, once. But I would wind up going up there several times in the mid-nineties, and always wondered where Walden Woods was, if I was close (I wasn't). Before long, it began to be one of those places that was on my bucket list, if you will.
Yet, it took me years to finally manage to go to Concord and visit Walden Woods. Probably, I first reached it in the early 2000's, even though trips to New England were, by then, fairly commonplace. It felt almost sacred to be there, recognizing this as the place where the modern environmental movement began. Recalling how Thoreau had withdrawn from the world here in these woods (more or less), and come up with some of the most brilliant insights and passages that have been quoted frequently ever since,
Of course, it should be noted that Native Americans had a strong appreciation for what we would nowadays view as environmentalism. They understood that all life in this world relied on a delicate balance, and that human beings were not exempt from this, but were a part of that cycle of life. They understood that we needed to embrace the wilderness, that it was good for us, a part of the natural order of things, and that we destroyed a part of ourselves when we grew used to destroying the natural parts of the world. Yes, they understood all of that, although their thoughts were dismissed, simply not taken seriously. At least not until Thoreau, who expressed respect towards Natives and their way of thinking and doing things.
And so, Thoreau's writings, which initially were largely ignored during his own lifetime, came to have a life of their own. Came to hold a certain measure of power among those who read his works. And while he remained hidden in the shadow of obscurity in his own lifetime, and seemed at times to bow down to the master, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thoreau's words ultimately began to grow in influence, resonating with many. His descriptions of the actions he took, and why he took them, began to be appreciated as his works finally, and deservedly, found their way to a broader audience. Eventually, his works were translated into many languages and spanned the globe, and his writings influenced some of the greatest thinkers and doers of the 20th century, among them John Muir, John Burroughs, Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr..
For my part, I began finally reading on a more serious level, although two books relating to Thoreau kept escaping my grasp. The first was by Thoreau himself, which is his most famous work, and the work which took it's name from the woods and the pond that he retreated to for two years and two months. The other book was "Heaven is Under Our Feet."
Also, now I have visited Walden Woods and Walden Pond numerous times, and have swam in the water. I remember the last visit, back in 2012 or 2013, I believe. It was a cool, summer morning, and I went swimming in those waters. It felt purifying. Afterwards, I took a hike around the pond, and upon returning, began reading Thoreau's "Walden." Finally, I read the book all the way through, and was glad for it.
This year, I wanted to make a point of taking my son there, telling him about the significance of the place, and making sure to swim and hike there. He loved it! And once again, after swimming in the pond and hiking around it, I opened up my old, beat up copy of the book, and began reading it, as well as "Heaven is Under Our Feet," which I have read several times now, and which has had an impact on me.
It felt special, taking my son here. It would be nice for him to have a deeper understanding of the place, and perhaps, to get used to coming here. Maybe it can be an annual tradition.
Afterwards, we went to the town of Concord, and I told him how this was the town where the Revolutionary War began. The town always has held a certain charm for me, and as we walked around and ate dinner at a nice, quaint little inn,
What a special weekend!
The old button from the Environmental Club days which I just happened to find on Earth Day! It is a little beat up (particularly the ends of the ribbon), but no worse for the wear, I think. And it is one of the few items that I have left from those days, so it carries a lot of great memories for me! Nothing Changes Until You Do!
My son swimming in the chilly waters at Walden.
My son giving Henry David Thoreau a high five.
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