A vegetarian who avoided rich, processed food, Thoreau decided to demonstrate a life of simplicity and self-reliance by living for two years on Walden Pond. Minimalism was his goal, believing that possessions increased labor and stress in both getting and keeping them.
People can live on much less than they suppose. Stone Age humans only needed a few hours a week to gather basic needs. This left time for them to develop culture. But when agriculture created abundance, the market emerged and with it the accumulation of wealth. So, we began to put in extra hours because time became money.
The biblical principle of gleaning helps mitigate our tendency to hoard. Farmers were not to harvest the corners of their fields. These crops were to be left for the poor and strangers traveling through your land. Likewise, whatever fell to the ground was not to be gathered.
The Sabbath also mitigates against greed. Servants, animals, and the land are all to be given time off, instead of being exploited to squeeze out the last bit of profit. The owners, too, were to rest.
The Year of Jubilee was the best counter to the desire to amass wealth. Every fifty years land was to be returned to the original owners, debts were to be forgiven, and slaves were set free.
Jesus taught us to consider the birds in the air and the flowers in the field (Matthew 6:25-34.) God provides for them and provides for us. Humans are a part of God’s creation and can live in harmony with all creation.
In “Walden,” Thoreau addressed the greediness of society over 150 years ago. A reckless selfishness that leads away from peace of mind and is ultimately self-destructive.
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