Busy Guy?------> Simplify!

A few days ago I saw the title of an article on the New York Times web page that immediately got my attention. The article was called "The Simple Life" and it proved to make a strong connection to Henry David Thoreau's thoughts regarding simplicity.

The article spoke about the increasing popularity of a Buddhist monastery in upstate New York; the members of the monastery meditate and do what is called "work practice", or scrubbing toilets, raking leaves, etc., all day long. These people are living very simple and tranquil lives. The particularly interesting part about this monastery is that a large portion of the members do not regularly practice or believe in Buddhism and are everyday Americans. So who are these people and why are they meditating in a monastery?!

"Philipp Malkmus, a 30-year-old consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers, said the rigorous agenda at Zen Mountain Monastery over the Halloween weekend actually left him refreshed. 'It wasn't fun in the traditional sense, but it was the opposite of my life in New York City and a return to a very uncomplicated way of living,' he said. 'It gave me the rest and relaxation I was looking for.' "

These people want simplicity! Henry David Thoreau spends a lot of time in his novel, Walden, expressing the importance of making our unnecessarily complex lives more simplistic. Thoreau, as Phillip Malkmus had, left the busy city life and found a simpler life elsewhere. In the woods, Thoreau built an extremely basic shelter to live in, only used necessary supplies, and lived mainly in undisturbed solitude. In that type of environment one is able to focus on the important aspects of life and human nature; now many modern day Americans are following the same path.

The article I read stated that the present amount of attendees is shocking; usually the monastery is not even half full. Additionally, the fact that the attendees flowing in are everyday Americans looking for some simplicity says a lot. The individual, the city, the country, and the world have all become more complex. The amount of complexity that humans can take on may be reaching its limit, and people will be forced to begin simplifying their lives by eliminating unnecessary factors. Thoreau would be excited at this idea, for now people will be physically and mentally able explore themselves, the truth of Man, the truth of nature, and the truth of life.

Link to "The Simple Life" article: http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/12/12/travel/escapes/12ashrams.html?hp

Into the...Man's Nature?

Last weekend, I watched the movie titled Into the Wild, a film based upon a novel written about the true story of Christopher McCandless, a man who started a new life for himself by hitchhiking across America all the way to Alaska. McCandless burned all of the money in his wallet, left behind most of his possessions, and lived off the land. This was one of the most touching and beautiful movies I have ever seen before, and makes a significant connection to our AS class. McCandless is a great example of modern day connections to transcendentalism; it seems he acts as a modern day Thoreau. In the movie, in fact, one of the few possessions McCandless does carry with him is Thoreau's Walden. There are a numerous amount of connections I could make between the two men and their beliefs; watching the movie, however, specifically turned my attention towards Emerson's "Nature" essay that our AS class read recently.

The reason I decided to focus on "Nature" is because the way the movie is filmed truly connects the two. In "Nature" Emerson writes, "In the wilderness, I find something more dear and connate than in streets or villages. In the tranquil landscape, and especially in the distant line of the horizon, man beholds somewhat as beautiful as his own nature" (4). This passage puts an inspirational idea in my head every time I read it, and I was able to visually see its truth while watching Into the Wild. Every scene where McCandless' character is out in the wilderness, alone, and away from city life, "tranquil landscapes" come alive. When you see this man, immersed in the luscious woods, it is almost as if he is one with nature; the true purity of man's nature becomes visible.

McCandless' character truly seems to reach a certain peace while surrounded by nature, and by the end of the movie, it is evident that he discovers much about himself. Just as Emerson described one would when in the wilderness, man seems to become nothing, yet part of everything at the same time.

The film, Into the Wild, really portrayed the beauty of tranquility and discovery perfectly. Viewing these gorgeous settings that the main character travels through really touched me in the deepest sense possible. Complex thoughts entered my head after the movie was finished, and I certainly was not able to form any solid opinions, yet one simple idea became clear: The relation between the individual and the natural world is something extraordinary...