WALDEN or Life in the Woods

By: Henry David Thoreau

I first noticed Walden as a book when I watched the movie Dead Poets Society. There was a scene where young men quoted from books and one said "I went to the woods to suck out the marrow of life..." It had a profound impact on me that I decided to read the entire book. That singular sentence alone holds the true meaning of the movie in the whole scheme of things.

Thoreau was very accurate to recount his experiences when he chose to give up his possessions and life in the big town and went to live instead in the woods and start living from scratch. Relying on the available natural resources, he built his house and his furniture one at a time. What he tried to do was simply go back to basics and optimize his self with the rest of the world and at the same time, do whatever suited his needs and the needs of his spirit.

It is a highly recommended read for those who found themselves at a dead end. When you have ticked off all the items in your to-do list, what's next? The book allows you to re-think your life and help you go on to the next level but this time, do things differently. You will feel compelled to ask yourself questions like how would you want to be remembered in this life? What legacy would you want to leave to those who will succeed you?

It is also a source of philosophical musings in relationship to the mundane things of life and how important they can be. This is most especially true if when you think about it, we are so familiar with how we live our life yet it is not obvious to us the impact it has to the rest of the world. The sad part is, we belittle ourselves too much. By doing so, we deprive our environment and the people around us of the great effects of what our presence can bring.

The style of writing used by Thoreau may or may not appeal to some. It is plainly written mentioning the highlights of events that happened. There are no climactic moments that would leave your fingers stuck to the pages of the book. They are real moments, no sugar-coating, no exaggerations whatsoever. But, what is so appreciable of the whole novel is how real and bland life can get. Whilst everyone can totally relate to this kind of living, it is not entertaining so do not expect this to be a source of amusement. But, with patience and perseverance to finish reading this book, you will, in the end, realize how your life can be different and impactful.