Is Life at Walden Pond Plausible Today?

First order of business is to say I am sorry I have not had much time to read dark novels lately. I miss my fun reading it is like some of my soul has been ripped away. Right now I have to focus on reading assignments for school.

Does anyone have any tips for getting through Walden without falling asleep! This book is so boring to me. I have read through quite a bit of it but I just don't seem to be able to absorb what he is saying. It really seems like a boring sermon from someone who has spent way too much time thinking about himself. Not that he doesn't have some good things to say; I am starting to feel like he wasted a lot of his time writing the same thing over and over again. I find him to be selfish and self-centered instead of self-reliant. To each his own I guess. I place people and relationships high on my priority list. I don't like being isolated but at the same time I do like some time to myself to evaluate life.

For one his mode of life isn't plausible in the state of the United States. If it is ever possible I want to live in a home with plenty of land to grow a lot of my own food and a house that produces its own energy. It will be expensive to build this home so we are putting away money for it now. The problem is that most of the practical and natural sources of energy are going to be or already are regulated by the government. So if anyone has any ideas on this issue I would love to hear them. I don't like how the government regulates everything these days but that is a different post all together

My professor has a lot to say about this book and I am having trouble reading it. I already have made a lot of changes in my life that I suppose make me different. I catch slack for not wanting to go into debt for anything. I can't get my husband to use a debit card instead of a credit card but always pay the bill at the end of the month. I got my family on the only by for the little ones for Christmas plan but can't get my husbands family to go there. I don't like debt I never have and if it were up to just me I would sell the duplex a lot cheaper, and keep renting until we had enough money to build our house.

There were not as many issues with health insurance and government regulation of natural resources when this book was written. My professor seems to think that in our society the translation is not to compromise your self. He gave examples of very smart men working menial jobs because they didn't want to compromise something. He says they are the happiest people he knows. If they truly are then I see no problem with that. I just don't like the idea that everyone who compromises for something or some one is somehow a lesser person. I think that someone who suffers a job they hate for a time to get where they want to be is just as noble as someone who refuses that job and learns to live a different lifestyle. I also think that family and relationships are very important.

When thinking about this book I may not agree with a lot of it but it has challenged me to look at my relationships. They are the most important things to me and I need to be a better, wife, daughter, sister and friend. I need to spend less time looking at others flaws and more time just listening and learning. The thing is that it is not just a selfless gesture for me; one of the most important things to me is having people who care. I need people around me, a few good friends and family.

I could talk about this all day I get the sense that Walden is not going to wrap up and I am never going to enjoy reading it. I would love to hear comments.