Walden the book & Concord the Town

Henry buys every farm in Concord (in his mind) before he settles on his spot at Walden. Who needs open windows when you have a half-finished hut? You have protection from the rain but you also have fresh air!

Henry talks about furniture (who needs it anyways?) and the cynical side of philanthropy. Also, starting in 2021, May 6 is now an annual Celebration of Life at Walden Pond, to mark Thoreau’s death (in 1862) and anyone else you may want to honor. This podcaster honored her beloved mother. It is a place of peace, standing alone or with the book.

Henry itemizes his farming life and food. He offers his bread making recipe (Who needs yeast? Who needs salt?) And the Woodchuck! He also mentions Thebes, which has a new relevance now for me.

Henry talks about the proper way to get an education, economics of renting vs building, the folly of the railroad and Harriet Martineau!

Here we get down to the nuts & bolts of Henry’s carpentry practice. A guidebook & philosophy all in one. Plus info about visiting Concord & how the Colonial Inn is so central to the good stuff.

Plight of farmers, are we all digging our our graves? Why bother with gewgaws? Commentary includes notes from commons.digitalthoreau.org hosted by the Walden Woods project.

Henry asks what kind of shelter does a person need? Penobscot or Laplander or Yankee, a simple wooden box, a wigwam or a palace? (Which do you think he’ll choose?)

In this sixth part of the Economy chapter, we finish the segment on Clothing. And as an experiment, I have a short bit of it read by a native Portuguese speaker. Imagine if we could get people from all over the world to read segments in their native languages? Walden has been translated enough, it’s totally possible.

Starting with Thoreau and Native Americans, the Nipmuc people of Concord; continuing through 2 pages of the details and responsibilities of being in business. Also, clothes are there to keep us warm, no matter what your boss or society thinks!

In this 4th section of Walden’s first chapter called Economy, Henry talks about how philosophers choose to be poor and offers his version of a resume. Includes jokes about “watering the plants” and a dig at his editor at The Dial, Margaret Fuller.

Basic necessities section, what do we REALLY NEED? And why are we so influenced by others to want anything beyond the basics? Food, shelter, empathy. “If I repent of anything it is very likely to be my good behavior”

In this second section of Economy, Henry covers capitalism, debt, slavery (both actual and metaphorical), vegetarianism and why we shouldn’t listen to our elders.

A reading of the first few pages of Walden, then a discussion of what Henry was talking about in his first few pages, and the strange townspeople he saw, weighed down by life. And then there is a visit to Monument Square in center of Concord. What’s with all those marble blocks in that patch of green? One of them is the jail site where Civil Disobedience was born. Yep, right near the parking lot f...