Study on the harmony between human and nature in Walden

■

沈阳师范大学

一、Introduction

In those two years,Thoreau had a quiet and simple life.Walking through the woods all day,he experienced various natural events and gradually fulfilled his spiritual world.He had an introspection of life and explored a natural law of the harmony between human and nature. Moreover,he criticized that constant wars in the industrial ages and the unfair chattel slavery had broken the previous harmony..After reading Walden carefully,I will deconstruct Thoreau’s life in the following sections .

二、Harmonious life in Walden

(一)Harmony between human and the nature

Farming was a spiritual enjoyment to Thoreau.Meanwhile,the land became the source of spiritual strength.Without cattle,he created wealth by his hands.Farmers often ridiculed him,but Thoreau did not mind it.In the nature,pleasure can be found everywhere only if human gradually find it.

In Walden,Thoreau wrote in amusement that “You only need sit still long enough in some attractive spot in the woods that all its habitants may exhibit themselves to you by turns.”

(二)Harmony between human and society

Thoreau was actually a typical hermit in the decent society.AS a fact,He was experiencing the relationship between beings and the society with another attitude.In essence,we can find the microcosm of hierarchical Slavery,cruel battles and disharmony in the current society from Walden.Especially for Thoreau’s description of ants’ war for territory and food,he spent more words than necessary to describe the current scene of two groups of ants starting the war.In fact,Thoreau was expressing his own opinion towards human cruel battles. Obviously,he couldn’t totally get away from the current civilized society in his deep soul.

(三)The harmony between human material pursuit and spiritual pursuit

The times when Thoreau was alive is a period of great progress in human society.But Thoreau saw a recession from the era of rapid development.That is,human was excessively dependent on materials.As a result,they were gradually going backwards.

Simplicity is the most suitable indicator of Thoreau’s life at Walden Pond.Moreover,he attached another meaning to that kind of life.That is,don’t lose yourself for pursuing too many material things.Particularly for an individual,just a knife or an ax maybe enough for them sometimes.But to a person who has a pursuit in thought,two additional books perhaps can make him get a pretty good live.

In sum,Thoreau desired a quiet natural life.Furthermore,he looked forward to the harmony between human and nature and that between human and society.Besides,Thoreau held that both spiritual and material pursuit should be focused on.By using his own real life experience,he told us that the life can be simple in reality and we do not have to overwork ourselves all the time-we need to take a rest in a right moment and admire the beautiful scenery around you carefully in order to nourish our spirits.

三、Walden’s enlightenment to our life

Someone classified the simple life presented in Walden as a culture of returning to the original mind in the decent ages.As far as I am concerned,I would rather view it as a philosophy of living a simple life.The Walden Pond don not have to be a real lake.Moreover,we don not have to really live in a little wooden house in the primitive woods and earn our own living like Thoreau.Just keeping pursuing the simplicity is enough.

The philosophy of simple life which Thoreau learned 150 years ago still is a good reference for the decent life.Especially for the new generation who were born in the new age and facing various fierce competition,they need to read Thoreau’s Walden and learn how to face our life calmly,how to relieve themselves from the endless material pursuit and how to meditate to accumulate wealth in the impetuous era.Only in this way,however materialistic the society is,we will not feel helpless about our soul,our mind would be full and healthy,happiness and joy will come one after another.