"Walking" Thoughts

Prior to class, we had been asked to read the long passage in Old English named "Walking" by renowned writer Henry David Thoreau. I will speak more on my experience with the text later. It is what we decided to do before we discussed the text in class today, that sums up pretty much everything Thoreau was trying to get across.

Before we discussed "Walking" we did just that, we walked. The goal of the walk to just think, stay within your thoughts. Whoever wanted to aimlessly lead the walk could walk up to front and the rest of us physically aimlessly followed but were supposed to keep thinking and about what we were thinking about. Of course we all talked, got to know each other a little better and even though this wasn't part of the instructions,it was great! There were moments where we would  get these little pockets of silence, and you would pay attention to the wetness underneath your feet, the bus noises, people talking and so forth.

When we got back we were asked to do a fast write for seven minutes, where you don't stop writing whatever is on your head is what you write. The prompt was "Walking makes me think...."I divert back to the actual piece Walking. As expected it is a long passage in Old English, it has a very preacher tone to it, Thoreau has found freedom in nature and pities those that cannot see what he sees. The quote that really stood out to me particularly after this class activity was

                               

"The best part of the land is not private property; the landscape is not owned, and the walker enjoys comparative freedom. But possibly the day will come when it will be partitioned off into so-called pleasure-grounds, in which a few will take a narrow and exclusive pleasure only,—when fences shall be multiplied, and man-traps and other engines invented to confine men to the public road, and walking over the surface of God’s earth shall be construed to mean trespassing on some gentleman’s grounds." (Thoreau, 233). 

As we walked today, we noticed how manipulated nature is on the Campus and is in our lives, we want to feel apart of nature but it has to look good and serve our aesthetics. Thoreau's point is that's where the freedom lies, the wildness of nature and part of the pleasure we receive from it, is the fact that it is not owned nor tamed. It allows us to reach our higher selves, which was so vivid when we began our fast write exercise. You don't realize how many things you think about, different sounds bring up different questions and the amount of clarity I felt after writing all that down was surprising!

"Walking" is a good read, Thoreau's point is well beyond walking it is what the connection with nature does for us. So the lesson, take a walk and if you would like to try a fast write exercise  it is well worth it!