Thoreau had a liberal education. He could intelligently discuss Plato, The Bible, Copernicus, or Aristotle or the Bhagavad Gita. Combining the wisdom of the great books with a deep appreciation for nature is a key to wisdom.
My experience is that I am able to ground myself and be present always in the moment by adapting his life experience to my own. Thanks for celebrating his Birthday.
Thank you so much Philip for another brilliant piece. I have a deep love for the bards of Concord, and your work in American Veda only amplified it. I did my philosophy master’s thesis on Emerson. These voices speak to me like few others.
Thanks, Peter. I’m honored by your support. As a fellow builder of castles, I’m sure you know this Thoreau quote that someone sent me today: “"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."
Emerson is now my favorite author. His writings speak to me like no other. My degree is in business but my soul is enlightened the great books. I’m never alone when Thoreau, Emerson, Poe, Whitman, Twain, Hemingway, or Steinbeck are with me.
Thank you Phil! What a sacred mark he made on the forehead of American consciousness.
Love this: “turn on, tune in, drop out.”
That was my experience of Thoreau. I read Walden, read parts again. I grew up in South Central LA, then Long Beach CA. The urban, then suburban grid was my life.
After discovering Walden in an Air Academy literature class, I found a powerful yearn inside that would never be met by a life in the military. I resigned my appt. in 1965 and returned to CA to become a writer.
Later, I read BF Skinner's Walden Two which launched me into a burgeoning communal setting in Eugene, Oregon. The semi-hippie life. Meditation. Long walks climbing the logging roads through the forests we lived in. Castaneda's Journey To Ixtlan, then all the sequels.
Later, married, back in LA with a young family to raise, that echo of Walden led me to read Hesse's Siddartha.
Those two books had more to do with informing the direction my life journey than any others I can think of.
To this day I dream of finding some days to spend in solitude in the Mojave Desert or high in the Rockies.
Thanks Jimmy. We had similar experiences back in the day, which should not be surprising. Mountains and deserts are very appealing. I've noticed different kinds of silence in each. I'm more of a mountain guy myself.
For long retreats, I recommend careful timing so there are no important ballgames to monitor. :)
Thoreau had a liberal education. He could intelligently discuss Plato, The Bible, Copernicus, or Aristotle or the Bhagavad Gita. Combining the wisdom of the great books with a deep appreciation for nature is a key to wisdom.
My experience is that I am able to ground myself and be present always in the moment by adapting his life experience to my own. Thanks for celebrating his Birthday.
Thank you so much Philip for another brilliant piece. I have a deep love for the bards of Concord, and your work in American Veda only amplified it. I did my philosophy master’s thesis on Emerson. These voices speak to me like few others.
Thanks, Peter. I’m honored by your support. As a fellow builder of castles, I’m sure you know this Thoreau quote that someone sent me today: “"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."
Emerson is now my favorite author. His writings speak to me like no other. My degree is in business but my soul is enlightened the great books. I’m never alone when Thoreau, Emerson, Poe, Whitman, Twain, Hemingway, or Steinbeck are with me.
Can't go wrong with that lineup. You can only add names to it.
Thank you Phil! What a sacred mark he made on the forehead of American consciousness.
Love this: “turn on, tune in, drop out.”
That was my experience of Thoreau. I read Walden, read parts again. I grew up in South Central LA, then Long Beach CA. The urban, then suburban grid was my life.
After discovering Walden in an Air Academy literature class, I found a powerful yearn inside that would never be met by a life in the military. I resigned my appt. in 1965 and returned to CA to become a writer.
Later, I read BF Skinner's Walden Two which launched me into a burgeoning communal setting in Eugene, Oregon. The semi-hippie life. Meditation. Long walks climbing the logging roads through the forests we lived in. Castaneda's Journey To Ixtlan, then all the sequels.
Later, married, back in LA with a young family to raise, that echo of Walden led me to read Hesse's Siddartha.
Those two books had more to do with informing the direction my life journey than any others I can think of.
To this day I dream of finding some days to spend in solitude in the Mojave Desert or high in the Rockies.
Thanks Jimmy. We had similar experiences back in the day, which should not be surprising. Mountains and deserts are very appealing. I've noticed different kinds of silence in each. I'm more of a mountain guy myself.
For long retreats, I recommend careful timing so there are no important ballgames to monitor. :)