In Literature last week I had to read Henry David Thoreau's essay "Life Without Principle." I got SO frustrated with it because it was just a bunch of words all jumbled together that just kept going on and on and on and on and on and on... Yes, every once in a while I would get something out of it, but for the most part I thought it was pointless. I even told mom one day "This is so dumb. Its just a guy complaining about people being selfish and not doing anything worthwhile."
DUH! That was EXACTLY his point! And it is so true. But I didn't realize any of that until after I read the analysis.
After about a page and i half of the analysis, the words "want fewer things" popped out at me. Pretty much bit me on the nose..
Thoreau's philosophy is that people should labor not for money but for the love of what they're doing. He argues, "There is no more fatal blunderer than he who consumes the greater part of his life getting his living." Most people do just exactly that. Their lives revolve around their jobs. Making money. Yes, work is necessary to buy and pay for the things we all depend on to live. But the word "need" has become GREATLY confused with the word "want." Thoreau's simple solution? "want fewer things."Well that's easy. we are so consumed with the things we think that we absolutely HAVE to get, that we really don't need at all, that our time and thought is completely caught up in it. Wasted. Most of our wants are pointless things that won't last long, not even to mention last for eternity. So why even bother? We are wasting our precious little time we have here on this earth trying to earn money for these things we don't even need.
"If you don't want much, then you don't have to waste your time working to buy it."
Yes, I know that work is necessary. Just not quite so much of it. Like the father who works all day everyday so he can pay for cable TV, new toys, movies, video games, that new car, the coolest house, the best clothes.. Or the teenager that works on Sundays so they can get some extra money for those new shoes or go to that concert or get that latest movie or game.
Tell me, in the end, would spending that time with those kids daddy, or those new toys benefit them more?
Thoreau admits that without working a lot you WILL have less, but he values his time more than his paycheck.
The 2nd thing that stood out to me:
Wasting time with media and games... things that are supposed to be an occasional treat. But instead have become an everyday occurrence.
And that goes right along with the 3rd thing that stuck out to me!
"Read not the Times. Read the Eternities." In other words, don't focus our attention on what seems so important today, at the moment. The stuff that we'll forget about in a few weeks, or days.. or hours! We need to focus our attention on things that will really matter for a very long time. Like say... oh... our LIFETIME?! or how about... try... ETERNITY! Good healthy Relationships, people in need, furthering the kingdom of heaven, taking care of ourselves and our world.
4th point:
Lots of that precious time I'm talking about that we waste, is wasted on other peoples problems, their business. Something that has nothing to do with us! WHY? I don't know... but we all do. We just HAVE to get involved..
Just some things that made me think. And I know that some of these things don't apply to all of us. But most of them do.
And I don't agree with everything Thoreau said. But He's on the right track.
Faith
