Economy 3

Economy 3

1. Economizing and Life at Walden

   • He sees that it is a lot wiser and better to walk and travel on foot rather than take transportations.
   • Thoreau starts planting beans, potatoes, corn, peas, and turnips to sell them, getting about $8.71 ½ dollars for the first year, which is the best of all other farmers in Concord.
   • He ate with $8.74 dollars for 8 months. His total expenses were $61.99 ¾ dollars as he got from the crops and day-labor (he used to work in one day labor) $36.78 dollars.
     • Although this might seem as very impractical, he says that the most valuable thing we could get from these accounts is to record everything, to be all-knowing with what you are buying and how much money is coming into your house
   • He gave a list for everything he had in the cabinet which some were made by him. He is thankful for not needing to depend on a furniture warehouse to get him his furniture.
   • He worked for 6 weeks a year in different labors which were mostly failure to him as they did not fulfill his vision. This 6 weeks work was enough for him to cover his own expenses

2. Philosophical Observations

   • He starts talking about animal laboring, and how it is not right and is oppressive to the animals
   • He then starts talking about historical civilizations where he is more concerned about the people who did not even bother in building these culites nor did they leave any marks on their period
     • He uses the waste of time to build pyramids which are simply tombs for weird men who could have been just thrown in the Nile and then given to the dogs (that was disrespectful, but he mentions Egypt frequently in his book).
   • He then says that from his experience, he learned that very basic food and water are good enough to keep your health and strength as good as variety is not a need, but it’s a want.

3. Morals, Lessons, and Beliefs

   • When a youth told him that he wants to be like him, he urges them to do whatever they want and like, and start alone first, so that you do not have to wait for your partners, and slow your plans.
     • Plan your pursuits alone.
   • Thoreau believes that helping others with food or alike is not complete goodness as this does not resemble true philanthropy (a dog could do this kind of kindness).
     • Not even helping the poor would reflect people as being philanthropists.
   • He then says that saints and prophets had corrupted our manners as they always mentioned God’s curses and endours, but never mentioned the goodness of God’s gift of life.
     • These constant warnings of punishment and God’s anger made their claim very evil that it filled our heads with wrong and corrupt ideas
   • He referenced to more references about religion, like the Sunni Muslim Sheikh Saadi of Shiraz, showing his incomplete commitement to any religious foundation.