One morning, Henry David Thoreau woke up to find his cabin at Walden Pond covered with a thick layer of snow. He decided to make a fire and enjoy the solitude of his simple dwelling. As he was chopping wood, he heard a faint sound of a horn. He looked up and saw a train passing by, carrying hundreds of passengers to their busy destinations. Thoreau felt a contrast between his own life and that of the surrounding world. He wondered what they were all doing, and whether they were truly happy. He realized that he had chosen a different path, one that allowed him to live deliberately, to deal with only the essential facts of life, and to learn what it had to teach.
When I was around 19, I read Walden and wanted nothing more than to live in a simple dwelling surrounded by nature. I worked in an office and would have given up in a heartbeat if I thought a life like Thoreau’s was possible in my own country, England. But I soon realized that it was not as easy as it seemed. England is a densely populated and industrialized nation, where land is scarce and expensive, and where laws and regulations limit the freedom of living off the grid. I also faced social and cultural pressures from my family, friends, and colleagues, who did not understand or support my desire to escape the rat race and pursue a different kind of happiness. I felt trapped and frustrated, unable to fulfill my dream of living like Thoreau at Walden.
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Find out if you could live like Thoreau and thrive in the woods next to Walden pond.
Now I am older, I don’t relish the idea as much. I have grown comfortable with my modest home, central heating and broadband connection. I still wonder whether it would be possible from a theoretical standpoint to live like Thoreau at Walden in today’s modern world. What would it take to achieve such a lifestyle? What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in harmony with nature versus living in a complex society? How would it affect one’s health, happiness, and relationships? These are some of the questions that I will attempt to answer in this article, by comparing and contrasting Thoreau’s experience with the current realities and challenges of the 21st century.
One of the main reasons why Thoreau decided to live at Walden Pond was to reduce his expenses and live in a more connected way. He believed that most people spent too much money on unnecessary things, and that by simplifying his needs, he could gain more freedom and independence. He wrote in Walden,
“The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.”
Thoreau built his own cabin on a piece of land owned by his friend and mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson, near Concord, Massachusetts. He used mostly recycled and borrowed materials, and did most of the work himself. He recorded the details of his construction and the cost of his materials in the chapter “Economy” of his book.
He spent a total of $28.13 on his house, which is equivalent to about $2,800 in today’s terms.
Thoreau also grew his own vegetables and did odd jobs to earn some income. He sold some of his crops and the surplus wood from his cabin. He spent very little on food, clothing, and other expenses during his two years at Walden Pond.
He spent $61.99 on food, $8.71 on clothing, and $15.60 on other expenses, which amounts to about $8,600 in today’s terms.
He claimed that he lived comfortably and even saved some money by the end of his experiment.
Thoreau’s experiment in simple living was not only a personal choice, but also a social critique. He challenged the prevailing notions of progress, wealth, and consumption in his society. He argued that people should not sacrifice their lives for material possessions, but rather seek the true essentials of life, such as nature, wisdom, and virtue. He wrote,
“A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.”
Getting Permission To Live In The Woods
If you ever dreamed of building your own cabin in the woods, like Thoreau did, you might want to think twice before trying it in the UK.
Unless you have a very generous and influential friend,like Ralph Waldo Emerson, who owns a piece of land in the green belt and is willing to let you squat there, you will face a lot of legal hurdles and bureaucratic headaches.
The green belt is a sacred cow in British planning policy, and any attempt to build something new on it is met with fierce opposition and suspicion. You might think that a humble cabin would not harm the environment or the character of the countryside, but you would be wrong. The authorities would consider it an “inappropriate development” and would only allow it in “exceptional circumstances”. And no, being a fan of Thoreau is not an exceptional circumstance.
You might wonder why the green belt is so protected, and what benefits it brings to the society. Well, according to its supporters, the green belt prevents urban sprawl, preserves the rural landscape, and provides open space and recreation for the city dwellers. It also reduces air pollution, enhances biodiversity, and mitigates climate change.
Sounds great, right? Well, not so fast.
According to its critics, the green belt is outdated, ineffective, and unfair. It does not stop urban sprawl, but rather pushes it further away, increasing car dependency and carbon emissions. It also restricts the supply of land for housing, making it more expensive and inaccessible for many people, especially the young and the poor.
It also contains a lot of land that is of low environmental or scenic value, such as golf courses, quarries, and airports. They argue that some parts of the green belt could be released for development, especially if the buildings are of high quality and design, and respect the natural surroundings.
So, who is right and who is wrong? Well, that is a matter of debate and opinion. But one thing is clear: living like Thoreau at Walden in the UK is a very unlikely and impractical proposition. Unless you are willing to break the law, risk eviction, and face public outrage, you might want to stick to your modest home, central heating, and broadband connection. You can still read Walden and admire Thoreau’s ideas, but don’t expect to put them into literal practice anytime soon.
How To Live Like Thoreau In A Suburban Semi-Detached Home
Well, now we know you probably won’t be living in the woods next to a pond. How about a suburban-semi or similar.
Can we live like Thoreau in a suburban semi-detached home in the 21st century? Is it possible to emulate his lifestyle in a modern and urbanized world? Here are some tips and suggestions that might help you achieve a more simple and meaningful life, without having to move to the woods.
- Reduce your consumption and clutter. Thoreau was a minimalist who avoided buying unnecessary things and lived with what he had. He wrote in Walden, “I say, beware of all enterprises that require new clothes, and not rather a new wearer of clothes.” You can apply this principle by decluttering your home, donating or selling what you don’t need, and buying only what you really need or love. You can also save money and resources by repairing, reusing, or recycling your items, instead of throwing them away or replacing them.
- Grow your food or buy locally grown produce. Thoreau grew his own vegetables and fruits in his garden, and supplemented his diet with wild berries, nuts, and fish. You can apply this principle by growing your own food in your backyard or balcony, or by buying local and organic food from farmers’ markets or farms.
- Connect with nature and yourself. Thoreau spent a lot of time observing and appreciating nature, as well as meditating and writing. He wrote in Walden, “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.” You can apply this principle by spending more time outdoors, walking, hiking, biking, or gardening and less time inside.
- Limit your technology and media consumption. Thoreau was critical of the modern inventions and innovations that he thought distracted people from the important things in life. He wrote in Walden, “Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.” You can apply this principle by limiting your use of technology and media, such as smartphones, computers, TVs, and social media. You can also unsubscribe from unnecessary or unwanted services, newsletters, or notifications, and avoid online shopping or browsing.
- Seek meaningful relationships and community. Thoreau was not a hermit, as some people might think. He had friends and visitors, and he also visited his family and neighbors regularly. He wrote in Walden, “I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.” You can apply this principle by growing your relationships with your family and friends, and by engaging in your community. Volunteer, join a club and get yourself involved in something you enjoy doing with like-minded people.
These are some of the ways that you can live like Thoreau in a suburban semi-detached home. Of course, you don’t have to follow all of them, or any of them, if they don’t suit your preferences or circumstances.
The main point is to find your own balance between simplicity and complexity, between nature and culture, and between self and society. As Thoreau wrote in Walden –
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.
Henry David Thoreau
