Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence. | |
— Henry David Thoreau | |
. | |
On This Day In: | |
2021 | Probably Why It Hurts So Bad |
5-0 | |
2020 | Unlike Faux News Viewers |
2019 | I Don’t Know Truth, Either |
2018 | An Approaching Disgrace |
2017 | Liberty, Collusion, History And The Republican Majority |
2016 | But I Have Too Many Questions |
2015 | A New Friend |
2014 | Do I Have To Fall In Love? |
2013 | More Democracy, Please |
2012 | Speaking Of Love |
2011 | Limits |
Posts Tagged ‘Henry David Thoreau’
Try Walking
Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, Walking, tagged Henry David Thoreau, Love, Paths, Philosophy, Quotes, Reverence, Walking on May 23, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Bringing It
Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, tagged Happiness, Henry David Thoreau, Life, Philosophy, Quotes, Value on July 2, 2021| Leave a Comment »
There is no value in life except what you choose to place upon it, and no happiness in any place except what you bring to yourself. | |
— Henry David Thoreau | |
. | |
On This Day In: | |
2020 | Me Neither |
2019 | Have Forever |
2018 | Fear, Racism And Greed |
Reaching Out To The Missing | |
Very Nearly | |
2017 | We Can Figure This Out |
2016 | Just Enough |
2015 | Bourne Bond |
Springs Eternal | |
2014 | Brains First |
2013 | Not Listening Anymore |
2012 | At Your Marks! |
2011 | We Are Not Alone |
Underlying Rationality | |
2010 | Is the Obama Administration Failing? |
In Other Words… | |
Quite Please! | |
In A Hostage Situation… | |
Are We Done Yet? | |
In Order… | |
Flip-flopping… | |
Proof of Choice… | |
On “Leading” A Democracy To War… | |
Actually, It’s All About Me… | |
Meet Unexpected Success
Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, tagged Confidence, Dreams, Endeavors, Henry David Thoreau, Imagination, Life, Philosophy, Quotes, Success, Time on December 19, 2020| Leave a Comment »
If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with the success unexpected in common hours. | |
— Henry David Thoreau | |
. | |
On This Day In: | |
2019 | Curing With Salt |
2018 | A Politician With Skills |
And / Or A Genuine Smile | |
2017 | A Lone, Brave Voice… |
2016 | Job Security |
2015 | For I Have Always Lived Violently |
2014 | We Stand !! (I Stand With George) |
Additional Requirements | |
2013 | In The Present Day |
2012 | Feeling It |
2011 | Stretching Science |
Stand First
Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, Writing, tagged Henry David Thoreau, Living, Philosophy, Quotes, Vanity, Writing on August 27, 2020| Leave a Comment »
How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live. | |
–– Henry David Thoreau | |
. | |
On This Day In: | |
2019 | Tough Values |
2018 | I’m Still Here |
Day 31: A Calendar Month | |
2017 | Start Typing |
2016 | Just Saying (Nothing) |
Thought Of You | |
Saldaga (“As I’ve Lived”) | |
2015 | A Terrifying Cycle |
2014 | Rights |
2013 | Do Bold Things |
2012 | Seven Causes |
2011 | I Feel A Tingle Coming On |
It’s Probably Easier When You Live Alone
Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, tagged Henry David Thoreau, Life, Philosopher, Philosophy, Quotes, Wisdom on October 12, 2019| Leave a Comment »
To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school, but to so love wisdom as to live according to its dictates a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity and trust. | |
— Henry David Thoreau | |
. | |
On This Day In: | |
2018 | 25 Days Until The November Election |
Old And Young | |
2017 | Universal Soul Sounds |
2016 | Not Rivals |
2015 | Dead Sure |
2014 | Are You Educated? |
2013 | For Myself |
2012 | And When I’m Gone… |
2011 | Complete Conviction |
My Dog Scratches At The Bedroom Door
Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, Walking, tagged Attitude, Blessings, Dogs, Henry David Thoreau, Philosophy, Quotes, Shiva, Walking on June 15, 2019| Leave a Comment »
An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day. | |
— Henry David Thoreau | |
. | |
On This Day In: | |
2018 | One Person Can |
2017 | Been There, Thought That |
2016 | Diligent Students |
2015 | Unanswered Prayers |
2014 | Pray, v. |
2013 | As I… |
2012 | But We Need Room |
2011 | A Definition Of Leadership |
Can We Talk About Me?
Posted in Humor, Included Video, Quotes, Videos, tagged Henry David Thoreau, Humor, I Wanna Talk About Me, Included Video, Quotes, Toby Keith, Vevo, Walden, YouTube.com on January 7, 2018| Leave a Comment »
I should not talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well. Unfortunately, I am confined to this theme by the narrowness of my experience. | |
— Henry David Thoreau | |
From his book: “Walden“ | |
. | |
On This Day In: | |
2017 | About Change |
Gordian | |
2016 | Are Your Prayers Functioning? |
2015 | Expressing Love |
2014 | Cyclical Attitudes |
2013 | Footprints |
2012 | Broken Resolutions |
Bin It | |
Seeking Finer Fruits
Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, tagged Henry David Thoreau, Labors Of Life, Philosophy, Quotes, Walden on January 6, 2018| Leave a Comment »
Most men, even in this comparatively free country, through mere ignorance and mistake, are so occupied with the factitious cares and superfluously coarse labors of life that its finer fruits cannot be plucked by them. | |
— Henry David Thoreau | |
From: “Walden“ | |
. | |
On This Day In: | |
2017 | Something That Is Absolute |
2016 | Animate And Encourage |
Out Of Time | |
2015 | In Time |
2014 | Robust Interconnectivity |
2013 | What Have We Here? |
2012 | Tributaries And Eddies |
An Honest Politician | |
2011 | Penultimate |
Two Good To Be Real
Posted in 2017 Book Review, Book Review, Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Reviews, Science and Learning, tagged 2017 Book Review, Applied Behavior Analysis, B.F. Skinner, Economics, Henry David Thoreau, Highly Recommended Book, Nature vs. Nurture, Philosophy, Politics, Reading, Science, Utopia, Walden Or Life In The Woods, Walden Two -- book review on December 9, 2017| Leave a Comment »
“Walden Two” (1948©, 1976©) — book review | |
This is another “classic” book (novel) I’ve wanted to read for some time. No, it’s not the original “Walden Or Life In The Woods“, by Thoreau, or its sequel. It is the fictional description of a “scientifically” created utopian community used by the author (B. F. Skinner) to promote his theories about (what is now known as) applied behavioral analysis. It was Skinner’s belief that most of an individual’s actions (and cultural preferences) are determined by the environmental factors / variables / cultural norms one is exposed to. While Skinner did not start the nature vs. nurture debate, he did go some distance in promoting his side (nurture) of the argument. | |
Basically, the novel revolves around an academic who is approached by two students to find out if stories about Utopia’s are real or even possible. They have heard of one (in the professor’s class) and wonder if the professor would approach the person who organized it (the utopian society) so they could visit it. The professor writes to his old friend who agrees to host them (the visitors) for a time. The group of visitors ends up being the original professor, another academic / current friend, the two students and their two girl-friends. The visit is to “Walden Two” – a play on Thoreau’s Walden which uses the sequence / numeric (two) instead of the “also” (too). In other words, “we follow, but we are not the same.” | |
The “visit” allows the author to present his theories about how to “properly” arrange a society so it can maximize leisure time as well as efficient productivity to generate just enough to cover more than what the society needs, but never to exceed requirements so much that people do not have time to be and to become themselves. As an example, everyone is “expected” to do a certain amount of work / chores, and you receive “credits” for the time spent doing them. The “jobs” average to four hours per day and the remainder of the time is yours to use any way you see fit – eat, sleep, art, play, whatever… The job credits are scored based on the number of staff who want to do the job, which presumes fewer folks want to do “harder”, “more tedious”, or “dirtier” jobs. This, in turn, means you can earn your four hours of credit in less than four hours of work. The “science” comes from the statistical analysis of how many folks ask to do the job. Of course, the majority of jobs are also shifted periodically (again using analysis) to even out the more favorable jobs, too. For those, you have to work more than four hours to get the four hours of credit. The “surplus” generated by efficient productivity is used to deal with external entities – to pay taxes and for buying supplies which cannot be generated within the society. | |
This pretty much covers the general economics of the utopia. The social engineering and politics are also covered and they are what was found so objectionable about the book that it was banned in some places. | |
Can man play God? Can we make life so pleasant that free will becomes a lost / legacy concept? Can we eliminate greed and / or the desire to rule others? I don’t know. My instinct is to say “no”. And if we could do any of these things, is it a society I would want to live in? Again, I don’t know… But the book sure did make it sound appealing. What happens to the six visitors? I’m afraid that would be telling, so you have to read the book to find out… | |
Final recommendation: highly recommended! This is a book which made me think about my own values and what I’d be willing to give up in my “society” to have a civilization where wealth was not the “be-all / end-all”. If nothing else, that (“it made me think”) is a pretty good description of a “classic”. …And, of course, quotes / excerpts will follow in good time. (LOL) | |
. | |
On This Day In: | |
2016 | Learning Subtle Differences |
2015 | Dog Eat Dog World? |
2014 | And Sometimes Blogs About It |
2013 | Outside-In |
2012 | They Are All Perfect |
2011 | Delegation – The “How-To’s” |
2009 | Diet Update and Other Bits & Bobs… |
One Lucky Man
Posted in Family and Friends, My Journal, Quotes, tagged Family and Friends, Henry David Thoreau, My Journal, On Solitude, Quotes on August 19, 2016| 3 Comments »
I have never found the companion that was as companionable as solitude. | |
— Henry David Thoreau | |
[Henry never met my wife! LOL! For an introvert (like me), she’s been pretty special and has shaped my life in ways I could never have expected. — KMAB] | |
. | |
On This Day In: | |
2015 | Food Change ==> Health Change |
2014 | 10 Commandments Of Logical Arguments (Fallacies) |
2013 | Sociology Of The Future |
2012 | 1010 |
There In The Sunshine | |
2011 | Not Enough Time |
I Went To The Woods…
Posted in Movies, tagged Bando, Henry David Thoreau, Miss Turner, My Side Of The Mountain - movie review, Sam Gribley, Teddy Eccles, The Martian, Theodore Bikel, Tudi Wiggins on February 16, 2016| Leave a Comment »
My Side Of The Mountain (1969) – movie review | |
Today’s movie review is for a family movie made in 1969. The story revolves around twelve / thirteen-year old Sam Gribley (played by Teddy Eccles), who is a devotee of Thoreau and who fancies himself a naturalist. Sam decides to runaway to spend a year in the Canadian woods to see if he can make it as a self-sufficient spirit. The decision is spurred by his father’s promise of a summer trip that doesn’t pan out due to work responsibilities. | |
Sam gathers up his supplies (a small ax and a flint) at a few local stores and then hops a bus to the forest. On arriving he sets up his campsite and begins to live off the land. He has a number of adventures including a narrow escape from a bear and stealing a falcon chick from its nest. He manages to get by quite well until a stranger – Bando (played by Theodore Bikel) – stumbles onto his camp. The stranger ends up being both friendly and useful and they form a friendship. They are together for a few weeks and Sam realizes he was actually lonely. Actually, Sam has made two friends – the other being the local town’s librarian – Miss Turner (played by Tudi Wiggins) – who let him read books about raising and training falcons. | |
Anyway, blah, blah, blah, Sam gets caught in a blizzard and is snowbound in his home (a hollowed out tree). Sam’s two friends come to see if he survived the storm and end up saving Sam by digging him out of the snow. Sam then decides to return home to his family feeling he has learned as much as he can from his adventure. | |
I first saw this move on original release in the theater, so I must have been fourteen at the time. I have not seen it since, but I’ll be darned if I didn’t completely remember the climactic scene of getting snowbound in the tree. I also have very strong memories of several other parts of the movie (the adventures, not the “blah, blah, blah” parts). So, is it a “good” movie? I think if you can remember a movie after forty-five years and only seeing it once, it’s a pretty good movie. Is it at all realistic? Nope. The kid would have been dead many times over. He failed to have enough food to last a winter and more importantly, he failed to gather enough firewood to last even more than a few days. Setting all that aside, was it believable? Surprisingly, yes and it reminded me a lot of “The Martian“, in that survival is about dealing with your most immediate problems first. The movie also reminded me the first true “right of passage” into manhood is not age, but survival. And, that they are different things. | |
Final recommendation: Strong Recommendation. The is a family movie that doesn’t insult the intelligence of kids or adults. As such, you can share it with your young (5 to 10 yrs) nieces and nephews and your own kids. It is shot with a low budget and “looks” like an old fashioned movie, so I think kids over 10 years old might find it blasé by today’s standards. But, I enjoyed it at age 14 and then again at age 60, so go figure… | |
. | |
On This Day In: | |
2015 | I’ve Got To Run |
2014 | Which Is It? |
2013 | Making You Stronger |
2012 | Sick Of Being Sick |
Greater Than Power | |
2011 | Clear, Specific And Measurable |
2010 | The Runner’s High |
Into The Dark… | |
First Things First
Posted in Quotes, Reading, tagged Books, Henry David Thoreau, Quotes, Reading on June 8, 2015| 2 Comments »
Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all. | |
–– Henry David Thoreau | |
. | |
On This Day In: | |
2014 | Without The Other |
2013 | Earn This |
Seeking A View | |
2012 | Stumblin’ Along My Way |
We’re Proud Of You, Jr! | |
Union Card | |
Two Philosophies | |
2011 | Simply Unpredictable |
It Takes A Village
Posted in My Journal, Philosophy, Quotes, tagged Henry David Thoreau, My Journal, On Man, Philosophy, Quotes on May 13, 2015| Leave a Comment »
The civilized man is a more experienced and wiser savage. | |
— Henry David Thoreau | |
. | |
On This Day In: | |
2014 | In God’s Eyes |
2013 | We Root For Ourselves |
2012 | Like A Shark |
2011 | Discernible Virtue |
None But…
Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, tagged Henry David Thoreau, Love, Philosophy, Quotes on February 17, 2014| Leave a Comment »
There is no remedy for love but to love more. | |
— Henry David Thoreau | |
. | |
On This Day In: | |
2013 | Obviously Longer |
2012 | A Childhood Poem |
Who Are You Callin’ Leather-Faced? | |
2011 | In No Particular Order |
The Need For Proof |
To Not Discovering
Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, tagged Henry David Thoreau, Life In The Woods, Philosophy, Quotes, Walden on January 8, 2014| Leave a Comment »
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 it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion. | |
— Henry David Thoreau | |
From his book: “Walden; or, Life in the Woods “ | |
. | |
On This Day In: | |
2013 | I Have Less To Say |
2012 | Not The Best Prediction I’ve Ever Read |