"We are Determined to be Starved before we are Hungry"

With America's economy as it has been, it was pretty refreshing to read Thoreau's "Economy." I think it would be beneficial for the country as a whole to go back and read it, in fact.

Now, of course there is no denying that life in the 1800's was vastly different than it is today. I believe, however, we can learn a lot from our ancestors, particularly Thoreau's perspective. All throughout "Economy" he stresses the how beneficial it is to live a life of simplicity. He says,

"Most men, even in this comparatively free country, through mere ignorance and mistake, are so occupied with the factitious cares and superfluously course labors of life that it's finer fruits cannot be plucked by them."

How true is this, even today! American's are so concerned with having the best of the best, toiling at jobs day in and day our just to make money to buy useless things. Our society is concerned only with having the "best of the best" that we often live a life of endless searching, never content with the things we have in the here and now.

I think we would all benefit from taking advice from Emerson. Personally, I think life would be much more enjoyable were we able to focus our attention on the every day beauty of life, like nature and God's glory, rather than the latest fashion or having the biggest house on the block.

Both "Economy" and "Where I Lived" where very inspirational pieces to me. Thoreau was much easier to read than Emerson. His words flowed well, one into the next, and I greatly appreciated his use of language. Thoreau is definitely an author I would read again.