Simplify! The Philosophy of Henry Thoreau

“Most luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts of life, are not only indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind.”

Henry David Thoreau was an American Philosopher who pursued a simple and self-sufficient life. He carried out a social and spiritual experiment by retreating to the woods, where he lived there in a self-built cabin for 2 years and 2 months. He spent his days growing his own food, writing in his journal, walking through the woods and observing and recording the wonders of nature. It was a period of great personal growth and one in which he pondered on how much material wealth, or rather, how little a person actually needs to live and be free. He was disillusioned with what society had become and believed there was a different way.

Whilst living in the woods, Thoreau wrote a book called ‘Walden’, in which he heavily criticises materialistic culture. As well as providing early insight into the destructive and oppressive nature regarding certain processes of industrialisation, it also warns people of the self-imposed slavery that can follow from mindlessly dedicating your life to the never-ending pursuit of things. Thoreau’s life and work provide us with a reminder that there are alternative, simpler ways to live; ways which are far freer and more fulfilling than those governed by consumerist values and practices. Thoreau's message, in short, is that a simple life is a good life.

Life prior to Walden

Thoreau travelled throughout his province and observed that people seemed to be living lives of ‘quiet desperation’, focused on ‘nothing but work, work, work’, in order to quench their growing material appetite. Thoreau felt that people did not understand that the ‘cost of a thing is the amount of life which is required to be exchanged for it’. People seemed to be more concerned with accumulating nice things or climbing the social ladder than they were about their own destinies. Thoreau was baffled at how foolish people were with respect to their own lives.

It appeared to Thoreau as if his fellow citizens were falling into the consumerist mode of living not because they preferred it to any other, but because they honestly believed there was no choice left. He wrote:

“So thoroughly and sincerely are we compelled to live, reverencing our life, and denying the possibility of change. This is the only way, we say.”

Thoreau was far from convinced. He believed there are many ways a person can live their life, and a consumerist existence was only one of the options, and by no means the wisest choice. This led to his experiment to live out in the woods near Walden Pond.

Experiment in the Woods

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life and see if I could not learn what they had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I have not lived.”

His main motivation was to gain a greater understanding of the economics of living well. He wanted to address the proper relationship a person should have with money, possessions, and other forms of material wealth. He wanted to consider how much is enough, what an economy was for and how best to earn a living. Simplicity of living was his means of attempting to discover a path to genuine freedom.

Self-reliance

As far as possible he grew his own food, and mostly drank water from the pond. He cut down some trees and built himself a cabin with one small room and he also made some furniture. It was basic, but it was enough. And just enough was plenty. Thoreau did not wish to be tied to the economy, so he practised self-reliance; he did not wish to be a slave to artificial material desires, so he practised self-discipline; and he did not wish to live what was not life, so he avoided wasting valuable time working to acquire more than he needed.

What is necessary?

In order to live a full life, Thoreau felt that you must begin by thinking seriously about what the necessary things in life are. He said:

“for not till we have secured these are we prepared to entertain the true problems of life with freedom and prospect of success”.

This passage is important because Thoreau is seeking to avoid a misunderstanding that might arise, and sometimes does, from his celebration of material simplicity. Simplicity is not material destitution: we all have basic physical needs that must be met. However, once those basic needs are satisfied, we are not obligated to dedicate our lives to the pursuit of more. Thoreau proposed that when we have obtained those things necessary to life, ‘there is another alternative than to obtain superfluities; and that is, to adventure on life now, our vacation from humbler toil having commenced’.

Thoreau is warning us not to assume that material wealth will always contribute positively to our lives, for often it will not. That’s not because there is anything inherently evil about money or material things; it is just that each moment we spent pursuing such things beyond what is necessary is a moment we could have spent on some free, non-materialistic good; such as talking with friends, exploring the world around us, being creative, or just being still and relaxing.

Clothing and shelter

With respect to clothing, Thoreau expressed his simplicity by reflecting on his own humble attire:

“If my jacket and trousers, my hat and shoes, are fit to worship God in, they will do will they not?”.

His argument was not that a person cannot live a happy and meaningful life in fine clothing; it is more that expensive clothing is not necessary for a happy and meaningful life. Consequently, he suggested that we do not waste our freedom labouring to purchase expensive clothes. If our goals are higher than materialistic pleasure, we should recognise the limited need for money and possessions in our lives.

Thoreau had similar considerations towards housing. He believed that working for twenty, thirty and forty years to own a house makes a person poorer. He considered the American Indians and whether it would be wise for them to give up their modest but functional tepees on these terms. Thoreau thought not:

“when the farmer has got his house, he may not be the richer but the poorer for it, and it be the house that has got him”.

Thoreau was perfectly satisfied with his shelter, simple though it was. He sums up the modern idea of owning a house by saying:

“Most people appear never to have considered what a house is, and are actually though needlessly poor all their lives because they think that they must have such a one as their neighbours have”

Conclusion

The challenge for us, then, is to find a way of living a more simple, non-materialistic lifestyle, that focuses on enjoying friendships, family and nature; a life that focuses more on spiritual growth than growth of material possessions; a life that focuses more on meaningful living, rather than superficial living; a life that does not worry about what others have, think or do, but rather focuses on what you were born to do.

Thoreau’s thoughts could perhaps be summed up by the following passages:

“I am convinced, both by faith and experience, that to maintain one’s self on this earth is not a hardship but a pastime, if we will live simply and wisely”.

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away”.

These are perhaps the most important lesson that he learned while living in the woods and were lessons that stayed with him for the rest of his life.