Reflection of "Walking" by Henry David Thoreau
I want to first illustrate that "Walking" was a pleasure to read and I highly recommend it to everyone. Thoreau's writing is as beautiful as Nature itself and I can guarantee there is something in this essay that will inspire you.
A brief summary: In Thoreau's essay "Walking," originally given as part of a lecture, he contemplates the idea of walking as a parcel of Nature. Walking then becomes an adventure and not a means of getting somewhere; It becomes a part of every aspect of life and elicits spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being.
During the walk we did as a class, I experienced what Thoreau describes as being free from all worldly engagements. I found that walking without thinking about waking up just in-time for class or working all night after class, was refreshing to say the least! I noticed things on campus I haven't discovered before - pieces of the stone whale were broken off and that seeds were planted for the brewing class, for instance. Thoreau explains that the environment you find yourself in influences your thoughts and can lead to new experiences. If you think about it, where do people go on vacation? Places away from home, places that are warmer or more beautiful this time of year. Thoreau even portrays that a circle of ten miles' radius will never become quite familiar to you. A person could walk to the same place each day and still find that Nature can change dramatically. While reading, one of my favorite movies came to mind and is worth mentioning. Good Will Hunting, starring Robin Williams and Matt Damon, emphasizes the importance of experiencing new activities and not just reading about them in a book. With regards to personal anecdotes, I loved reading the section on page 238 that starts with "I trust that we shall be more imaginative, that our thoughts will be clearer, fresher, and more ethereal, as our sky...," because it highlights the role of Nature in our lives as American citizens. In the broader aspect of Nature, Thoreau states that, "Life consists with wildness. The most alive is the wildest." and "all good things are wild and free". Thoreau perceives Nature as an intrinsic part of being human. Take dance for instance (not like it's my passion or anything). A dancer captures my attention when he/she can perform a move I can't or does it in a way that is different from me. In this case, the wilder the better!
I think that the most inspiring passages in "Walking" are on pages 249 and 250 when Thoreau illustrates the need for a Society for the Diffusion of Useful Ignorance. Sometimes I have to remind myself that there is no perfection, there's almost never one right answer and all others are wrong. Also, it is more important to realize that there is so much to discover than believing that all things known are facts.
"Which is the best man to deal with,--he who knows nothing about a subject, and, what is extremely rare, knows that he knows nothing, or he who really knows something about it, but thinks that he knows all?" - Thoreau
For me, I am still figuring out where I fit in the range between society and Nature. Above all, I enjoyed reading Thoreau's vivid depictions of Nature and the walks he has been on and lastly...
"So we saunter toward the Holy Land, till one day the sun shall shine more brightly than ever he has done, shall perchance shine into our minds and hearts, and light up our whole lives with a great awakening light, as warm and serene and golden as on a bank-side in autumn"
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