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Thoreau's Civil Disobedience ~ Inner Peace
Thoreau: Mining Philosophical Gold that Lies Within America
By Marianne Parady
"He (Thoreau) appeared at a time when we had ... a choice as to the direction, we, the
American people, would take. Like Emerson and Whitman, he pointed out the right road
- the hard road… As a people we chose differently. And we are now reaping the fruits
of our choice… It is too late now to change, we think. But it is not. As individuals,
it is never too late to change. That is what these sturdy forerunners of ours were
emphasizing all their lives."
- Henry Miller
Henry Miller's quote leads us to wonder where our nation would
be today if we had embraced the ideas of
Henry David Thoreau
and his contemporaries long ago.
With anti-Americanism at an all-time high, we need to consider just what this
"very American" philosopher can offer us today, as our society is threatened, both
inside and out, by forces beyond our control.
During a recent television interview, Salmon Rushdie, the noted author, declared his concern
for our nation. According to Rushdie, anti-Americanism constitutes our greatest threat because
it fuels the mechanism behind those terrorist acts we all fear. On another such occasion,
Oprah, together with CNN, traveled around the world to discover the roots of this hatred.
Our foreign policy notwithstanding, most of the people interviewed perceived Americans as
a greedy, self-absorbed, materialistic, superficial group of individuals with little concern
for people in other lands.
Saddened and deeply concerned by this information, I realized that we need to live up to
the values put forth by our founding fathers years ago. Spawned from the philosophical
ribs of our forefathers, Thoreau introduces us to a vision of America never quite realized
- one in which our inner world is just as important as our outer world, and where strength
of character is more essential than military strength.
In Thoreau's world, truth and justice are an integral part of the America way, as are such
values as integrity, authenticity, introspection, individualism, independence, and many others.
No one can argue that throughout the past century, we've achieved greatness materially,
technologically, creativity, economically, scientifically, and militarily. Our standard
of living is higher than ever before, yet our inner growth and development as human beings
has been sorely neglected in our pursuit of external achievement. With the exception of a
certain number of self-realized individuals, many Americans still live those "lives of quiet
desperation," described by Thoreau over one hundred years ago.
Obviously, the pursuit of the American Dream, as we know it, has not lead to inner peace
or deep fulfillment. While we may enjoy a more affluent and comfortable life, more of us
are suffering from anxiety and depression than in any other time in history. With the
use of Prozac, Xanax, and other psychotropic drugs reaching epidemic proportions, we
need to examine the roots of this national trend and discover why we are so depressed
and terrified of life. Instead of popping a pill in order to deal with life's problems,
Thoreau's philosophy leads us
toward an existence based on truth and reality, while
helping us build a strong foundation of inner strength and greatness of spirit.
Rather than filling the existing moral vacuum with rules and arbitrary codes of conduct,
we need to learn how to create strong, healthy, honorable individuals. Through an
exploration of truth, both of society and ourselves, we stand a chance in developing
the character necessary to determine our own lives and create a more compassionate and
evolved nation that is revered, rather than despised, by the world's population.
In the past, we've focused more on image and illusion, than on reality, as our leaders,
authority figures, and institutions, as well as ourselves, relied on false personas and
artificial facades. As these images collapse, we need to find the wisdom and strength to
create new ideals, based on truth instead of falsehood. In fact, today we are presented
with more and more questionable information and guidance, as the numbers of self-help gurus,
charismatic leaders, and spiritual teachers increase daily.
Thoreau's philosophy stresses the importance of becoming our own authority, instead of
blindly following the pack. With the political situation leaning towards conformity and
distorted ideas of patriotism, questioning authority and critically evaluating our
government is of the utmost importance. Thoreau's ideas on "civil disobedience"
influenced such greats as Gandhi and Martin Luther King, and contain the potential
to bring out our greatness as well, both individually and as a nation. When we look
at the state of our country, it is clear that we haven't mined the philosophical gold
that lies within our own boundaries- most specifically that of Henry David Thoreau.
Perhaps we have been waiting for Thoreau to provide us with a new vision of what it
means to be an American, as well as a fully developed human being. The time is now for
us to take that "hard road" that Henry Miller spoke of and Thoreau embodied throughout
his life. With this foundation in place, we can truly become that "land of the free"
and "home of the brave" celebrated by our national anthem, and foreseen by Henry David
Thoreau and his contemporaries over a century ago.
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You can help raise awareness of civil disobedience, inner peace and integrity by forwarding
this article to others.
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About the Author
Marianne Parady, an Emerson and Thoreau authority, is the author of
7 Secrets for Successful Living: Tapping the Wisdom of Ralph Waldo Emerson to Achieve Love, Happiness and Self-Reliance.
Her Self-Healing Expressions e-course is
Living Deliberately: Guided by the Wisdom of Thoreau.
Along with writing a self-help column for the Hunterdon Observer,
she has also written for various self-help/spiritual publications. Marianne is an experienced
lecturer and workshop facilitator who has worked with colleges, corporations and non-profit
organizations. She works and resides in New Jersey.
Copyright © 2003 Marianne Parady. All rights reserved. If you are interested in publishing this article, please email .
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