“It appears as if men had deliberately chosen the common mode of living because they preferred it to any other. Yet they honestly think there is no choice left….”
Henry David Thoreau spent just 2 years living in the hut he built on Walden pond, from ages 27 to 29, pulling himself out of “a civilized life” (his words) to explore a world less material and more spiritual, and it greatly affected his life and writing until he died of TB in 1862 at the age of 44.
I didn’t realize or remember that reading this book in high school affected the way I saw life, until recently. I felt called to buy a copy again, and upon reading it I realize this is the life many homesteaders, permaculturists, and back-to-the-landers aspire to live and cultivate. Less material, more self sufficient.
So many of them we’ve met in our 3 years here, whom, like Thoreau, feel agitated and unsatisfied with the material world and civilization itself, but then come to find in letting go of some or all of it, they’re not only on a journey of self sufficiency, but one of self discovery as well.
Because this type of life- building your own home, going off grid, growing your own food, (or all three if you’re as crazy as we are 😜) tests your muster, sanity, and self beliefs more times than you ever imagined possible. And if you haven’t already established a strong conviction of those 3 things – strength, sanity and self – you may not succeed.
I’m still reveling in our harvest gathering and all the amazing people who came – I don’t think we could have picked a more perfect spot to explore this Walden reality, surrounded by people doing the same, letting go of everything to create something different. It’s not for everyone, I’ve come to witness. But it sure is special.
And I think Thoreau was on to something. If you’re looking for a new book this fall or winter, maybe look backwards, and pull out a classic. You may find the old adage that I have – history repeats itself.
