A Glimpse into Walden by Henry David Thoreau

If you ever decide to retreat into nature, away from the hustle of city life, one of the best books to accompany you is “Walden”, or Life in the Woods by the renowned American philosopher, Henry David Thoreau. It’s astonishing to think that such a profound and influential experience was captured by a young man of only twenty-eight. Like his contemporary Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thoreau was both  a Naturalist and a Transcendentalist

Thoreau believed that the elements of the natural world, through their complex yet quiet interconnectedness, contribute to the balance and stability of life. His insights foreshadowed the emergence of ecology and natural history, fields in which he actively participated. He argued that before we rush to exploit and alter nature, we must first observe and deeply understand its intricate order. To those who study nature earnestly, it becomes more than just a resource for consumption; no magic or superstition is needed to perceive its significance. Indeed, the highest achievement of science is to reach an enlightened simplicity through an understanding of complexity

Thoreau spent two years living alone on the shores of Walden Pond in a small cabin he built himself, during which he wrote “Walden”. He concluded that a minimalist lifestyle could prevent the squandering of life’s only true wealth—time—and instead, allow one to devote it to understanding and harmonizing with nature. A natural extension of Thoreau’s philosophy was his active resistance against the social pressures that drive people to desire more, work more, destroy more of nature, and, ultimately, lose more time

Thoreau’s views on nonviolent resistance have inspired figures like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Leo Tolstoy. One might wonder, what did Thoreau do with all that time in his cabin? What book did he bring with him? In “Walden”, Thoreau mentions reading “The Gulistan” by Saadi the Persian poet and quotes the following story:

“A sage was asked: Why is it that many noble trees created by God, glorious and exalted, have not been called free, yet the cypress, which bears no fruit, is called free?  

He replied: Every tree has a specific fruit that comes into existence at a certain time and sometimes withers away, but the cypress has none of these and is always green and this is the attribute of the free  

Do not set your heart on what passes by, for the Tigris has passed

Through Baghdad and will pass after the caliph has gone  

If you can, be generous like the palm tree  

And if not, be free like the cypress 

Thoreau notably retains the word “free/Azaad” in its original Persian form, underscoring its significance. One can’t help but wonder how history might have unfolded if more people had embraced Thoreau’s lifestyle, seeking transcendence through a deeper connection with nature

 Dr. Iman Fani