Book Review: Walden

Henry David Thoreau’s "Walden Lake" was published in 1854. Although this book describes Thoreau’s two years spent in a forest cabin, people usually regard it as a magazine for personal freedom and consciousness. On July 4, 1845, Thoreau walked into the woods a few miles from downtown Concord, Massachusetts where he lived most of his life. He wanted to strip his life completely. After building a 10-foot by 15-foot cabin, he led an idyllic life of walking, reading, bird watching, writing and simple life. He planted some beans and sold them on the market to make up for some costs. For most people, this concept is so unfamiliar that it seems to be either a waste of time disruptive. However, Thoreau felt that he was richer than anyone he knew, had all the material things he needed, and had time to enjoy them. Thoreau also has friends and family in Concord, but it is like a prison, enslaved by materialism and stereotypes, and people do not know where they are. He wrote: "Most people live in calm despair." His time at Walden is a conscious practice, and modern self-development is called "descripting". He wanted to restore his completely free thought at birth, but he suspected that this thought was distorted by "traditional wisdom" and prejudice in his growth. Walden Lake continues to be attractive to those seeking more. Many of these ideas and concepts have entered the public consciousness and become one of the important revelations of contemporary personal development writers. "Walden Lake" is also at the forefront of the times in terms of environmental sensitivity. It is worth saving because of nature itself, but for a carefully observed life, nothing is more educational than trees, water and animals. In a classic confession, he said: "I finally found the other half: I fell in love with a bush oak tree." What he sees in nature is always irrelevant to what he sees in humans: "If this is the result of human self-salvation, and all the grasslands on the earth are abandoned in the wilderness, I will be very happy." A railway passed through the other end of Walden Lake, and the busy people coming and going from the train made Thoreau happy and fascinated. Technological progress reflects the glory of the country - really? "People think it's important for countries to have businesses, export ice, talk by telegram, and ride horses at 30 miles per hour... but we should live like baboons or humans. It's a little uncertain." This is contrary to the obsession with innovation and novelty, and is also a feature of today's culture. Thoreau abandoned Benjamin Franklin's heroism of working hard on his own. For him, social status is not important, and a prosperous life is more like something that can only be seen under the gift of nature, rather than something to achieve. Thoreau did not "do anything" when he was in his 20s. Work is just to buy time to read, write and enjoy nature. This does not mean that we have to live in the hut and sow. Thoreau's forest symbolizes the abundance of nature. When we decide to be ourselves, nature provides everything. If we stay in the "village" of our thoughts and are afraid of what the next person will say about us, we will only see evidence of lack, insignificance and limited vision. The sentence he often quotes about staying unique is: "If a person does not keep up with his companion, it may be because he heard a different drumbeat." Let him follow the music he heard, no matter how far it is. " "Walden Lake" is a free spirit brainstorming, with a deep understanding of classical literature, oriental religion, knowledge of Indians and nature itself, outlined in a beautiful body and tranquil background. This book invites readers to become Thoreau's companions, enjoy the woods and Walden Lake like him, and enjoy his comments on people and society.