Journal 11

“Where I Lived and What I Lived For” (232)

The key to living a good life is to live simply and only with the essentials.

Quote: “…to drive life into a corner and reduce it to its lowest terms.”

“Sounds” (234)

In society, people need to find entertainment through interaction, but he finds the best way to entertain himself is by using his senses to observe nature.

Quote: “I had this advantage at least in my mode of lide, over those who were obliged to look abroad for amusement, to society and the theater, that my life itself

“Brute Neighbors” (235)

Telling about an ants life and comparing it to a humans.  The greatness of the ants is exaggerated in order to understate the greatness of people and our behaviors.  The reflection of who humans are is shown in the actions of the ants that make the ants seem heroic but we look bad.

            Quote: “I was surprised to find that the chips were covered with such combatants, that it was not a duellum, but a bellum, a war between two races of ants, the red always pitted against the black, and frequently two red ones to one black.”

“The Pond in Winter” (237)

The fishermen live in simplicity, the pond is frozen over and he sees that men are still fishing through the ice.  You must go out into nature and experience it ourselves.  Even when it seems things are at rest, nature is still thriving.

Quote: “But there was dawning nature, in whom all creatures live, looking in at my broad windows with serene and satisfied face, and no question on her lips.”

“Spring” (238)

Everything is starting to change with the beginning of spring.  He talks of a wise man that he could never mimic no matter how he changes.  The high point of nature is spring because it is a rebirth or creation of something from seemingly nothing.  He decides that he needs to move onto other experiences.

Quote: “As every season seems best to us in its turn, so the coming in of spring is like the creation of Cosmos out of Chaos and the realization of the Golden Age.”