Not a particularly good looking as a young man. Nathaniel Hawthorne described him "...as ugly as sin, long-nosed, queer-mouthed, and with uncouth and rustic, though courteous manners, corresponding very well with such an exterior. But his ugliness is of an honest and agreeable fashion, and becomes him much better than beauty."
I think he looked better as he aged.
But his eyes seem sad to me, perhaps because he knew he would die young. He lived only to the age of 44.
But his eyes seem sad to me, perhaps because he knew he would die young. He lived only to the age of 44.
His contemporaries included his mentor and teacher Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Louisa May Alcott.
In high school I wrote an essay comparing Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" with Emerson's "Self Reliance." I wish I still had it. I remember arguing that Thoreau was a bit of a hypocrit not wanting to pay taxes yet still use the public roads, so therefore being self reliant was more important than civil disobedience. I should read the two essays again and see what I make of them now.
Even though I preferred Emerson to Thoreau, I loved Walden and appreciate his contribution to American literature and philosophy. Certainly he had a deep love of nature and the world around him.
Which brings me to his quote, this from a man who lived between 1817 and 1862.
What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?
And here we are....Think what we could have done in the last 150 years or so to preserve what we have if we had been about doing instead of about talking.
What are you doing this year to help our planet home?
HDT also said, There is no remedy for love but to love more.
Hey now, you tell Nattie to leave my Henry alone.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Henry David. He is my soul mate -- he taught me how to live out in the woods, and fight for things I want, like land and preservation. I think he was the original conservationist.
He was also a pretty smart guy. I love smart men. Ugly yes, hey well, I'm not so pretty myself these days.
If he was around today, I think he'd be a rock star. An old aging hippie rockstar like Neil Young. Or maybe even Willie Nelson. What do you think Bish?
Wanna catch my HD fever?
We recycle.
ReplyDeleteWow, he didn't really change that much except his face got thinner. Of course, by today's standards he looks way older than 44.
ReplyDeleteWe recycle and use less paper. I drive relatively little.
Wow, I think he definitely looks better - but is he seriously 44 in that pic? Hard life comes to mind.
ReplyDeleteFor the planet, my little son is insistent on everyone walking more, less driving, eating healthy and doing more exercise. Somewhere in there we will be healthier and so will the planet. ;) Happy New Year! xx
I love these quotes, Bish! Thank you. As for the planet, I plan on more planting and growing once winter moves along.
ReplyDeleteOh man. You have me thinking. What can I do differently? This will take some pondering, so thank you for jogging me...
ReplyDeleteGreat quote! I've cut back on quite a few things lately...I try to reuse and repair as much as I can. I haven't given thought to what else I could be doing, but there's always more we could come up with. Good food for thought. :)
ReplyDeleteWe're recycling more, using reusable bags at the supermarket, not printing stuff off the computer unless we really need it. I think in general we're just much more careful about protecting the environment than we were even just a few years ago.
ReplyDelete