Henry D. Thoreau gave an intellectually stimulating lecture. His political and
environmental stances enchanted the audience. His ideas are indicative of
self-reliance, simplicity and appreciation. His delivery invited each listener
to actively enjoy what he said. Thoreau presented his lecture so that the
audience had no choice but to ponder and think about what he said. He was
passionate in what he said, as his values and views leaked into the audience
like a stream branching out from a river. The following is what I took away from
his speech. Thoreau began his speech by addressing his purpose of living
“alone”-a word of discussion in his lecture- and in the woods of Concord. I
quoted a passage that he derived from his own book, under the assumption that it
was something of significance, either to the audience or himself. In either
case, his statement would reveal a part of Thoreau that was of importance to
him. “I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude. We
are for the most part more lonely when we go abroad among men than when we stay
in our chambers. A man thinking or working is always alone let him be where he
will. ” (p. 123) Thoreau paused after he read. My initial response to this
statement was to think about it. So solitude is physically a friend to you? He
answered my question before I could question him. In the absence of people, he
had befriended the “seasons”. He continued to speak of his Natural friends,
like the “birds who sang for him”, and the “rain, which entertained
him”. Thoreau’s idea of solitude was that solitude is simply a different
state of mind. Instead of the events and actions of other people, he discerned
that one’s own actions, thoughts and imagination were of equal value. As he
spoke, I began to appreciate what he said. His digression from society wasn’t
the result of dislike for it, but a personal value of living through his own
eyes, rather than other’s eyes. He did not need material things to measure
life. Thoreau’s next venture featured a fisherman. A quiet man who fished by
himself at Walden Pond. Thoreau told a story of this man who came to the pond
near everyday in the spring and summer. He fished from the shore, never on a
boat. Something separated this man from the rest of those who came to fish.
After he caught the fish, no matter the size, he would pack up his gear and
leave. Where was this story leading? Thoreau admired the man who satisfied
himself so easily, although he never spoke to the man. I wondered if it was a
true story. Why would a guy want only one fish? Why so easily satisfied? My mind
raced as he spoke, trying to devour and process the words that he said.
Suddenly, without contemplation, I asked Thoreau a question. “Mr. Thoreau,”
I said. “This man you speak of is different from many in his ways. He travels
such a distance for such a tiny reward. Why does he settle for less when he
could have more without much marginal effort?” Thoreau smiled for the first
time during his speech, like he was entertained by my inquiry. “My answer can
be no better than yours.” That was all Thoreau said. At least he wasn’t
egotistical. His answer seemed to raise me to his level. My answer was just as
good as any other answer in the room. Maybe the guy didn’t even like fish; he
just wanted to be outside. Or maybe his son drowned there in the pond, and he
needed to have a part of him everyday, no matter how big or small of a part it
may be. Thoreau continued to talk of the fisherman. Although quiet, the man was
not silent. He smiled when others greeted him, and offered his hand when other
fishermen sought to launch their boats. “He loves his life, which is something
that not everyone experiences,” Thoreau glanced at me. “Is it not easier to
be happy when your wants are few?” Here Thoreau began his conclusion to his
lecture. “The universe is wider than our views of it. Our eyes are closed. No
man will see every inch of our world, and the questions which nature asks us
will remain a basis of thought as long as people live. Exploration of the world
and of ourselves is the only light that can reveal.” He picked up his book and
read. “Start now on that farthest western way, which does not pause at the
Mississippi or the Pacific, but leads on a direct tangent to this sphere, summer
and winter, day and night, sun down, moon down, and at last earth down too.”
(P.287) March 22, 1846 -A lecture by Ralph Waldo Emerson… Emerson’s lecture
was an awesome experience. I had an overall uplifting sensation in my body
during his entire speech. He seemed to have a thirst for the unknown, which
became contagious. The thirst appealed to a side of me that I had never
acknowledged, or even knew existed. He inspired me. Emerson started his lecture
with a bang. He read from notes, and peered through his glasses at the audience.
He had a certain fire… “The first in time and the first in importance of the
influence upon the mind is that of nature.” (P. 84) Emerson spoke of how
humans perceive things to formulate thoughts. He named off the five senses, and
told how we manipulate them in our processing to fit into our corrupted image of
them. He talked of the world, or nature in the context he used, being the shadow
of the soul, as if they were one. He presented the idea that we as humans create
what we see around us with our minds. And our senses are simply our minds way of
creation. What an idea! We always think of the separation between the world and
ourselves, but undoubtedly they are attached. “The Universe is the
externalization of the soul. Wherever the life is, that bursts into appearance
around it.” (P.209) Emerson moved on to a subject that conveyed his value of
independent thought. “Meek young men grow up in libraries, believing it their
duties to accept the views which Cicero, which Locke, which Bacon have given;
forgetful that Cicero, Locke, and Bacon were only young men in libraries when
they wrote these books.” (P.86) These young men, to him, were followers in the
sense that I give the word. They are the people who learn from others, rather
than from themselves. I drew a connection here. If the world is a shadow of
one’s soul, then it was like these “followers” are living through other
people’s souls. This fake life is not their own, but the answers to somebody
else’s questions. Emerson drew a comparison between a poet and independent
thinking. He said that the poet is he who puts words to actions. In this way,
the poet does not rely on others to listen, or see what he/she sees. The poet,
with a perception unused by most, gives life to the dead, and words to emotions.
Emerson sees the significance of invention. Any man can learn, but few can
invent. I was feeling bold, and to pass up a chance to hear Emerson’s reaction
to my thoughts would have been stupid. “Mr. Emerson. A poet reveals to us
something we have never seen or heard, like they have a higher sense of
perception than other men. What separates such men from the poet?” “Everyone
is a poet in their own right,” Emerson’s eyes turned me into glass, “fire
burns once it is lit, but the spark that ignites a flame is the poetry. The
difference between the poet and other men is in the thinking of each. If a
person sees a sunset and writes about what it means to him/her and the emotions
they feel at that moment, then they are creating. The average person will see a
sunset and write down the colors, describing the sight. The poet does not stop
at the color and the form, thus not limiting beauty to the eyes. Beauty exists
everywhere, the poet sees this beauty when it is invisible to other men.” I
understood what he meant. Everybody is blind to certain things in life. To
remove the blindfold is something that is unnecessary, and overlooked. The poet
removes the blindfold and not only sees what others miss, but he/she gives
meaning to it. Emerson’s lecture concluded with an encouragement to the
audience to search life’s limits, and that thought was the key. Thinking
encourages self-formulated answers, or imagination, an element that can
externalize the soul. I may find the answers to universal questions if my own
brain participates in the creation of the circle in which I might find it.
“The key to every man is his thought.”