Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Oh Thoreau. You made more sense that Emerson to me. But I still didn't particularly enjoy reading your writing either. However, there were a few thing that struck me.
"The life which men praise and regard as successful is but one kind. Why should we exaggerate any one kind at the expense of the others?" (853)
This makes me think of North American consumerism. The emphasis we have on "keeping up with the Jones's." And the idea that we so often meaure success in the length of our white picket fence and the square footage of our houses, rather than in the time spent investing in the lives of others. The boxes we paint ourselves into can be rather small and cramped sometimes, I think. Because success is far more than what we tend to focus on, and I really think that we must be losing out on some amazing ideas and people because of this.
"Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things." (871)
Wow, Thoreau really knew what he was talking about here! In the age of computers, television, the internet, we have so many distractions. So many pretty toys and playthings. And we use them (or at least, I know I use them) to forget, to distract, to avoid. And yet they're used for so much good too. Like text messaging donations for survivors of the disaster in Haiti. And raising awareness of crucial problems like hunger and AIDS. They create connections across borders and cultures, which shows that they can be more than just toys. More than just distractions. They can be valuable tools and agents for change. It just depends on how we use them, I guess.
"The life which men praise and regard as successful is but one kind. Why should we exaggerate any one kind at the expense of the others?" (853)
This makes me think of North American consumerism. The emphasis we have on "keeping up with the Jones's." And the idea that we so often meaure success in the length of our white picket fence and the square footage of our houses, rather than in the time spent investing in the lives of others. The boxes we paint ourselves into can be rather small and cramped sometimes, I think. Because success is far more than what we tend to focus on, and I really think that we must be losing out on some amazing ideas and people because of this.
"Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things." (871)
Wow, Thoreau really knew what he was talking about here! In the age of computers, television, the internet, we have so many distractions. So many pretty toys and playthings. And we use them (or at least, I know I use them) to forget, to distract, to avoid. And yet they're used for so much good too. Like text messaging donations for survivors of the disaster in Haiti. And raising awareness of crucial problems like hunger and AIDS. They create connections across borders and cultures, which shows that they can be more than just toys. More than just distractions. They can be valuable tools and agents for change. It just depends on how we use them, I guess.
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