“In wildness is the preservation of the world.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
Ken Burns and Don Henley recently put forth an extraordinary three-part television piece on the life and world of Henry David Thoreau, directed by Erik and Christopher Ewers via PBS. Given that Thoreau was long ago one of my earliest and most profound mentors from afar, I held space in my always-overbooked schedule to take in all three episodes last week.
As one would hope for and even expect, this is a beautifully nuanced piece dedicated to a deep and thorough explication of Thoreau’s life and writings beyond the many myths that have been perpetuated about him in the 154 years since his death in 1862. It is a rich exploration that delves into his poignant values and belief systems, experiential research, travels and travails. It includes many quotable writings, poetry, and public lectures. In short, this three-hour tele-documentary did superb work of documenting his multi-faceted perspectives on life and our natural world.
“Live your beliefs and you can turn the world around.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
Ever hopeful while also being concurrently grounded in realism, Thoreau largely practiced what he preached. Many decades later, I have great concern that too many of us have lost our way with regard to holding reverence for nature and the few remaining wild places that still exist. An ever-wider dichotomy has continued to grow between so-called “civil” society and nature. The disconnect between these two environments has become ever more extreme. Thoreau exemplified a unique ability to delve into both whilst holding to a philosophy that was predicated in getting along in the forests, rivers, lakes, and mountains of northern New England first and foremost. We would be well to come back around to practicing his ideas and ideals of holding ourselves accountable as stewards of the land we have been blessed to inhabit.
To have deep belief in something is to hold to its truth. In these times, when terms like “fake news” are running rampant, it is of great meaning to keep our eyes, ears, and attitudes open. Thoreau promoted having core beliefs that are unshakeable and indisputable and knowing that our truth, our beliefs, and our integrity are the most important things we will ever have and share. If you live from this place, your energies and ideas will be meaningful and persuasive even if others may not fully agree.
“The most I can do for my friend is simply to be his friend… and the language of friendship is not words, but meanings.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
In this life, we are not limited to merely having friends who are fellow humans. It is always prudent to carefully consider all sentient beings as potential friends on the pathways we travel on while alive. We can make all sorts of promises to ourselves and others, but the resolute and unwavering loving care we offer our friends is the gift and language of friendship that matters more than anything. To have a friend, we must be a friend. That involves sacrifice, compromise — and above all, intentional listening. The deeper we listen, the more we come to realize that there is more than words between friends. Thoreau’s life and world were in part based on his ability to make and have friends, whether human, other sentient beings, and the natural world.
“The question is not what you look at, but what you see.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
The world exists for all of us to care for, share, and experience — alone and together. Looking, like hearing, is a physiological function, and it works to utilize it to the greatest extent possible. However, seeing, like listening, is a psychological function of choice, and the payoffs for selecting and focusing on what to see and what to listen to are always enormous and beneficial. Thoreau used his six senses with incredible brilliance and alacrity, down to the last detail. But it was his uncanny ability to reflect and make sense and meaning of what he took in that laid the ground for nearly universal understanding and respect. He taught that we should not close ourselves off from the small, the tiny, and the momentary — indeed, it is through investing in these moments and harder-to-see items that we accrue wisdom and knowledge.
“Strive to simplify the problems in life, distinguish between the necessary and the real. Probe the earth to see where your main roots run.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
Through the entire course of our lives, we must choose from moment-to-moment what and whom to attend to, and how to sort through the thorny issues of our existence. We have become so inured of complexity — progress, technology, development — that we have gotten out of sync with the very fact that nature and our natural world operate entirely under simple yet profound principles. We would do better to break things down by deconstructing them to their simplest and barest of ideas and terminology, and come to be at peace with this. It is good to remember that we come from the earth, and it is to it that we ultimately return.
“Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
Finally, it must be stated that finding and maintaining our paths through life is among the most important of all human endeavors. Doing so is an ongoing challenge — we are all searching. As beings, we are each unique — and so, too, is our path once we happen into it. No matter the way we travel we will have travails, joys, and opportunities. What matters more — most, really — is that we step into and onto our lifepath each waking day with love and reverence.
Daniel Cantor Yalowitz, Ed.D., writes a regular column for the Recorder. He in an intercultural and developmental psychologist and his most recent book, “Creating the Intercultural Field: Legacies from the Pioneers,” was released in mid-January. He writes about issues focused on human and civil rights, human values, and his ongoing commitment to create a better world for us all. Reach out to him at danielcyalowitz@gmail.com.