Henry David Thoreau’s “Walking” as it Relates to Religion and Ecology

  A blog on an outside reading 

Thoreau is a protégé of the early nature writer Ralf Waldo Emerson. Thoreau takes from Emerson an emphasis on nature and the value of spending time in it. Emerson and Thoreau both have an anthropomorphic view, although Emerson has focus on a divine root. Thoreau’s approach is different in that he seems to be based in his own experience and interaction in nature. Thoreau build upon discussion of his own walks to create a bold statement “In wilderness is the preservation of man” (page 239).

Thoreau’s illumination of his own personal experience leaves me to wonder on equity and urbanization. Thoreau’s attention to the quantity and quality of natural experiences is cornerstone of my concerns. The laborer is a common category of individual that exemplifies a low of quantity of time to experience and interact with the extra-human. The shoemaker in Thoreau’s day and the factory worker in ours do not typically have the time available to take a nature journey of any great quantity of time. 

When Through mentions the quality of his surrounding and specifically wilderness he illuminates another modern problem. With the growth of cities many people face a decrease in access to quality nature and wilderness. Preserved wilderness is not readily available to most individuals and the whole of mankind. I worry of the change in access to wilderness, many of the people that have modern access are affluent and a small sampling of society. A lack of plentiful quantities and qualities of time with “nature” means some people lack hands on experience with extra-human. As a result of their concrete world, these people lack the ability to observe the connectivity between humans and extra-humans. They do not share in the privilege of a walk through “nature’ and time to reflect on deep connectivity.