Many can argue that our society is currently docked at one of the greatest times of its history. Being privileged with universal human rights and equipped with technology that past generations could only dream of existing, we boast of being the epitome of human existence. However, though technology constantly improves on itself and the community strives to become a more equal entity, I believe that as a society we are going backwards. By focusing on the progressive movements of our populace, we begin to neglect and abuse the nature that exists around us, which is something I believe a transcendentalist like yourself would agree, Thoreau.
Though it should be universally accepted that nature is of a divine origin, today’s society has lost that principle. Now, as a supreme being, nature can control itself and manipulate everything within it. Through my observations in my small experiment, I basked in the indescribable glory of the world around me. Lying down on a blanket and staring up at the sky, I became aware of how small I am in the whole entirety of the universe. The clouds floating by me were of many different shapes and sizes and the shrubs and vegetation around me were numerous in variety.
Trees are able to grow taller than some man-made buildings, and flowers have an uncanny amount of symmetry and order within themselves. The fact that there exists such diversity and structure around the world suggests the divine qualities of nature powers transcend that of men. However, the individuals of this growing generation seem to openly ignore the majesty around them. Instead, people have become obsessed with their handheld technologies; these instruments of entertainment remove attention that should be devoted to observing the environment around oneself as opposed to staring blankly at a small screen.
We are so consumed with the newest technology updated by the large corporations and the social media platforms provided by the advancing technology that our society has forgotten to take time to simply bask in nature’s beauty. If we stopped advancing in such an unnecessary division of converting communication devices into personal entertainment parlors, the ability to take time to enjoy the presence of nature around oneself becomes much easier, but our society as of now refuses to stop progressing to unnecessary leisure.
In addition to ignoring nature’s beliefs, individuals of modern society have also abused what should be considered sacred. Nature, as an omnipotent entity, should be given respect from humanity. We rely on nature to sustain our own existence. During the time of your writing Walden, you, Thoreau, stated the standard to take from nature only necessities for survival. Throughout your stay in the cabin near the pond, you did not waste time gluttonously divulging in the many foods that could have been created from the nature in the vast farming area near your home.
Many could argue that taking more than you need can help you in the long run; however, while spending time to gain a transcendentalist mindset on life, I have come to the conclusion that doing that will only result in a waste of time and effort. As a perfect example of this transcendentalist ideal, my mother’s garden is grown solely used for home cooking, a custom lost in many homes in our society instead of creating a profit through selling her fruits and vegetables, which would only cause her to put in more effort on her part.
Sadly, there are individuals of large companies who practice in commercial farming, a practice that pollutes the concept of taking advantage of the goods that nature grows. These corporations employ hundreds, if not thousands of employees, overwork the land around them and deplete it of its resources only to repeat the process on another location when the previous land gets robbed of its natural value. As a result, the pure, untouched, land quickly becomes tainted through exposure to the capitalist corporations.
This blatant disrespect to the world that sustains lives of entire ecosystems demonstrates how modern society has regressed during its relative progress. Overall, our disappointing society has managed to regress in maintaining a simple concept of taking time out of one’s schedule to simply enjoy the environment and in corrupting nature through implementing severe capitalistic ideals to individual farms.
You, Henry David Thoreau tried to inspire your generation to take a chance and to release the rope to set us a drift into the marvelous unknown by dwelling in nature; however, though we now acknowledge your efforts and ideas from the events that took place at Walden, we cannot follow through. Our society’s blatant disregard for nature will forever keep us at the pier, and I am sorry for not being able to stop it.