Walden...

While perusing the shelves of the school library where I work a few weeks ago, I came across Walden by Henry David Thoreau. I was surprised to find such a book in the midst of books on spiders, airplanes, spooky stories, Harry Potter, and various coming-of-age books typically found in a middle school library.

I remembered having to read some of Walden when I was in high school and I can even picture the pages of Emerson and Thoreau’s writings from our textbook. Don’t ask me why I can picture those when I never really read anything I was supposed to read in high school, but for some reason those stand out to me.

Intrigued, I picked it up and checked it out recalling how challenging of a read it was 11 years ago, but hopeful that I’ve become a little better of a reader since then. So here I sit several weeks later and only on page 35! This is indeed an arduous read, but man is it fascinating! I am amazed at how much I think like Thoreau, although he is much more extreme than me.

If you’re not familiar with Walden (and if you are familiar, please excuse my poor synopsis), the gist of it is that he spent two years in a 10x15 house he built himself for $28 worth of materials in 1845. He spent that time reflecting on life, society, and other topics that I’ve yet to discover since I’m only in the first chapter. He was, in every sense of the word, a minimalist and enjoyed challenging trends of his day.

So far, the most challenging thought I’ve hit is thinking through what really is a necessity? Going way back in history, fire was not a necessity until it was discovered. Then, once fire was discovered, pots and pans became a necessity. Today, we need sponges, dish soap, a drying rack, dish towels, and arguably a dishwasher! Then there is clothing. The purpose of clothing is pretty much to keep us warm, to protect our bodies, and to keep ourselves modest. But look how quickly and deeply we get obsessed with what we have to wear – endless racks and drawers full of clothes that quickly don’t fit or go out of style. Then we need to run out and buy new clothes. How many shirts have I thrown out simply because I spilled coffee or ketchup on them?

The thing that has me thinking the most through this is our society’s housing trends (and I’m not talking sub prime mortgages here). In light of this way of thinking, homelessness, especially in this country, is a severe travesty! Our standards for quality housing have risen so high, that we literally throw people in jail for sleeping on a bench in the park. Now, I know you think I’m crazy here, and I certainly agree that the problems of homelessness protrude past my thinking here, but humor me for a second.

Take for instance, a family whose father loses a job and then the family’s house. They are forced out on the street with no place to go because they cannot afford to pay for quality housing. If they have family nearby, then good for them. If not, imagine the desperation and despair that would overcome them. The most dramatic picture that I have in my head is in the movie “The Pursuit of Happiness” where Will Smith’s character is forced to sleep in a subway bathroom with his son after being evicted. That scene literally made me sick to my stomach!

Now, in days past, that newly homeless family could possibly relocate to an unclaimed spot, cut down some trees, build a humble shelter, and eek out a living until something else came along for the father to do. But today, that shelter would be condemned and the family kicked off of the land because someone else probably owns it and wouldn’t want a bunch of freeloaders building an ugly shack on his/her land.

I look out at our neighborhood’s common area across the street from our house. There is a beautiful pool, clubhouse, and manicured field 15 feet out of my front door. How would I feel if I woke up in the morning to see a tent or two pitched in the field with someone cooking breakfast on a campfire? I would probably be outraged and begin to worry that my property value would decrease! I’m sure the cops would be called and the squatters kicked out immediately! But wouldn’t I rather someone use that open space to live in a safe place than on the street or under a bridge somewhere? Obviously this is a wild example, but I thought I’d share the thoughts bouncing through my mind as I read this book.

I’ll leave you with this quote:

“The very simplicity and nakedness of man’s life in the primitive ages imply this advantage at least, that they left him still but a sojourner in nature. When he was refreshed with food and sleep he contemplated his journey again. He dwelt, as it were, in a tent in this world, and was either threading the valleys, or crossing the plains, or climbing the mountain tops. But lo! Men have become the tools of their tools. The man who independently plucked the fruits when he was hungry is become a farmer and he who stood under a tree for shelter, a housekeeper.”