This article was written by John Baker
A few years ago, I had a co-worker who was forever being reprimanded for reading on the job. As his customers clamored for their Vegetable Alfredo's and Pork Cutlet's, he hid in the waiter's lounge squinting at a tiny copy of Henry David Thoreau's book, Walden. Although Eric was continually warned, the manager never took the book away from him adding, "I've read it twice." "Twice," Eric echoed in awe. Always one for a challenge, I bought a copy of Walden and joined Eric in his rogue reading sessions, helping fulfill Thoreau's prophecy that readers would "come to this page to spend borrowed or stolen time, robbing your creditors of an hour." Two years later and all of Thoreau's major works crossed off my list, I was still as fascinated by him as ever, so I decided to take it a step further.
On September 23rd, 1997, I began my own "Walden" life. Living by a schedule of five days in and two days out: five days a week at a tiny cabin in the woods, three miles from the nearest neighbor and two days amongst society, earning just enough money get by on. Thoreau had gone to the woods to "drive life into a corner and reduce it to its lowest terms" and I, one-hundred and fifty years later, was going to the woods to reduce his philosophies and musings to their lowest terms; to live them and see what they could teach me.
"Simplicity, Simplicity, Simplicity." -Thoreau. So many times I've read this quote and promised myself that I would live by it. I'd reduce my television watching, truck loads of stuff would be taken to the pawn shop and then I'd wait for the grand revelation of life that was surely to follow, only to slowly accumulate more stuff and be right back where I started. In order to share in the joy for life that Thoreau radiates in his writing, one must rid him/herself of everything except the barest essentials.
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