Walden Essay

Currently, someone, somewhere is using a form of technology to make their life easier. They may be buying a dishwasher or driving a car to complete their endless list of errands. Society gets so caught up in completing tasks so they can get started on the next one that they speed through life. The people of this time miss out on the little things. Intangible things such as smiling at a stranger or talking to a long, lost, friend. In modern ages, society cannot simplify their lives because they do not appreciate what they have and they do not think for themselves, they also have a misconception of what simplicity, and do not prioritize their duties correctly.

First of all, society has unlimited wants and desires. Once one has been fulfilled another one pops up and takes it's place. There is always something better out there. The ironic part is that people don't appreciate what they have. As Henry David Thoreau said in book Walden, "Men say that a stitch in time saves nine, and so they take a thousand stitch's to-day to save nine to-morrow (American Tradition in Literature)." This quote depicts how communities try and be prepared for the worst when it has not even occurred. The unnecessary stress taken from being over prepared complicates their lives. They spend more time attempting to protect themselves from danger but it cause them to have more work to do instead. The achieve simplicity, they must be content with their character and the decisions that have chosen. Trying to cushion their decisions is pointless. They should stand by their choice and take the consequences with a strong mind. However, along with giving up temptation a person must change the way they think to accomplish simplicity. 

People are surrounded by variety. They have the choice of what to buy, to eat or what to wear. They can decide where to go and what to do. The possibilities are endless. While choices are considered as freedom or independence, it contributes to confusion. Confusion and simplicity are parallel things. People are surrounded by so many decisions to make. There are also people and devices that try and tell them what to do. Media surrounds them, attempting to tell them that they need a certain item or that it will make their lives easier. Instead, people drown in a pool of puzzlement. No simplicity exists in this state of mind. If people can just decide on what item gets the job done, they would spare themselves the stress. Why have all the bells and whistles when they cannot take the time to learn how to use it properly.

Furthermore, people's conception of simplicity frightens them. They believe that they would have to give up some luxuries of life. But this is not the case. People can still experience the pleasures of life. The true idea of simplicity is keeping the mind from craving the things that will only temporarily satisfy them. It is about keeping peace with their inner self. As Henry David Thoreau said, "We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids , but by an infinite expectation of dawn, which does forsake us in our soundest sleep (Tradition of American Literature pg. 490." This quote portrays that simplicity is just a way of thinking. It states to sleep naturally without the aid of any medicine and to anticipate the sun in the morning. Lastly, simplicity can be accomplished by prioritizing.

As Henry David Thoreau once wrote"...let your affairs be as two or three, not a hundred or a thousand (Tradition of American Literature pg. 490)..." A typical person has so much to complete in a day. Once that list has been resolved , a new set is added on. As described in Thoreau's writing, he discusses why people need to do so much. They try and concentrate their attention to so many errands, when they would be better off just working on a few. The more important matter, however, is that they lack some basic responsibilities that they should fulfill. Duties such as talking to their children or parents or just to relax from their daily tensions that they encounter. They are often forgotten in the chaos. When thinking with simplicity, one can see what is really important. But in modern ages, the busy days pose a distraction.

Simplicity is difficult to achieve in modern times. Society takes on additional stress up on themselves and they don't fully understand what simplicity is. They are confused by all of their options and don't prioritize their tasks. It is just incommensurable for society to attain simplicity.