preview

Thoreau: The Necessary Of Life

Decent Essays

Besides the items that Thoreau believes are “necessary of life,” and possessions that are necessary for survival (air, water, etc.), I do not think I would be able to live without my house, my car (or transportation in general), my phone, my toothbrush, and books. It’s not that I cannot physically live without these things, but rather my life has become so reliant on them and the convenience they provide. I would have put my friends and family on this list because I actually do not think I could live without them and even Thoreau had access to his family and friends when he was at Walden.
I do not think I would be able to live without a car because they make it so easy to get around and get the items that are necessary for life. In theory, …show more content…

Like with the car, I am so used to the convenience of having it. When I did not have a phone, I did no miss it because I was not accustomed to the ease and efficiency. I do not think I could live without my toothbrush because I like having clean teeth and I have some relatives who have gotten sick from not brushing their teeth so I think having a toothbrush is important. Before toothbrushes, it was probably normal to have unclean teeth so it was not seen as much of a problem.
Today, many people consider reading archaic, so imagining a time without books is difficult. Before books, people probably had less spare time to read because they were working or doing other activities. Knowledge and stories were relayed orally and through families and groups, something that would be impractical now because of how societies have changed.
Overall, I think people were able to live without these because there was no knowledge of the convenience they could bring. If you never have something, there is no way for you to miss it when it is not there. For example, when there was no wheel, no one knew it was needed the wheel so they did not miss it, but it made life so much

Get Access