Where I Lived, And What I Lived For By Henry David Thoreau

In Henry David Thoreau ‘s Walden Thoreau expresses his perception of what is real and genuine. To him reality is your own perception. If a person wants to, they can control how they look at life. In the chapter “Where I lived, and What I Lived For”, Thoreau tells us “When we are unhurried and wise, we perceive that only great and worthy things have any permanent and absolute existence, - that petty fears and petty pleasures are but the shadow of the reality.” What Thoreau means is that if we settle down and become more aware we can then see what is true and lasting. Once we focus on something it becomes more real but only if you open your eyes and try to pay attention. Those other emotions that are built on frivolous ideals are temporary. The feeling you when you have gained or lost luxuries are shallow and are not what is important in life. In order to see truth we have to be aware of what is really genuine in life. Life is not about the amount of material items you
However the life that they want is a lie. This life is one that we have been told is the one we should want because it will make us happy. What Thoreau is trying to tell us is that the truth is, luxuries will not get you happiness. People suffer from being overworked and not having enough time to themselves. Thus they never truly live because they are chasing a lie. He is not very found of manufactures because they lead to excess consumption. When people work they are making things and thus driving the cycle for others to consume. He wishes for us to use a “Realometer” something that will get through the opinions, lies, and appearances so that people can know the truth. In knowing what is true you can appreciate the real “goods” of life and really start living. He is warning us that if we do not stop and question our surroundings and environment we will end up wondering how we got to where we are in