Got Thoreau-ed

Finished finally after few nights of devouring Thoreau's years in Walden Pond, plus his bonus essay On the Duty of Civil Disobedience. Like I always did, there were several unsuccessful attempts till I finally able to read, and now digesting, everything the author said in his book. It was a heavy reading. As you may know I avoided everything heavy. Always did. Except, of course, the drink. But what a satisfaction and, well, an epiphany! I commend it to readers. If you are one of the few adventurous readers, read if you will the likes of Thoreau, Nietzsche, and the others. And read them at your own risk, a worthy risk.

The 200+-page of the Walden is quite deceptive. It was short and very compacted, not a single word wasted. It contains the essentials of living well that has been rehashed by many writers and subjects of their books.

For instance, think of an ultimate reason of your hard work. Reason tells you it is important to your happiness. Everyone wants to live a happy life.

Don’t fell like going through all that variety of degrees in each man’s or woman’s measure of happiness. What I do like to do is to offer some observations why so many people are so confused of what really matters to their lives. People work hard to get at the top, be recognized as the best, that is, at the expense of everyone else, sometimes tramping many others on the way, cheating, if not going to the point of affecting future events by corrupt means, by limiting the freedom of those others who they think are bellow them. I am, of course, thinking of you, Politicians. You and your so-called politics are for dogs!

In many homes, parents especially the mothers put hold their daughters decision to marry, not just because it’s the most honourable thing to do, but which also methinks, in most cases they thought to have fallen in love, and they once were meaning to tell their parents, but cannot for many reasons, till the girl got pregnant out of other many reasons too, which now complicating matters, and the parents, instead of alleviating the problem, putting a stop to many errors already committed, they so complicate it more out of what they thought to be for their daughters' future (what future?) and their daughters’ happiness (what happiness?). They thought they have so lived longer and should know more than the young. The result, instead of resolving the issue, the rub has breeds further problems and more insults to both parties, because they can’t control their guilt feelings, which angers them the more and so generate more hatred, confusing the minds of young women, adding more miseries in the world. It is but a mockery and a-showing of their brutish ignorant nature.

H.D. Thoreau summarizes a happy life lived well in three simple words: “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!” Yes, right, we so heard it so often. We almost don’t hear it but only as part of the world’s mundaneness. But there’s no any other sound and ultimate answer. And that’s what one should have been trying to live now. Scrap all things unuseful, retain what is. Now wait, I need a drink.