Thoreau lived alone by the Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts for two years, two months and two days. His time in Walden Woods was used as a model of deliberate and ethical living. He was born when the transcendental movement was taking root and anti-slavery movements were rapidly gaining momentum.

As a social reformer, his words echo the principles on which the United States was founded — that it is a person’s duty to resist injustice where it is found. Thoreau’s writings influenced Gandhi’s work in India, Tolstoy’s philosophy in Russia and King’s civil rights stand in the United States. Wherever individuals and groups embrace human rights over political rights they invoke the name of Henry David Thoreau and the words of his essay. “Civil Disobedience:”

As a naturalist, Henry understood that the path to a greater understanding of our life on earth is through an understanding of the natural world around us and of which we are part of.

As a philosopher and transcendentalist, Henry sense of Spirit and God: “I do not prefer one religion or philosophy to another. As a scientist, Henry embraced the controversial work of Darwin and developed theories of forest.

He was a great writer. His books are still selling today and people are drawn to his belief of finding spirituality in nature—a philosophy woven throughout his books and essays. As life progresses, we hunger for simplicity and a communication with nature that Thoreau insists will lead to truth and spiritual renewal.

Source: Henry David Thoreau
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