The True Meaning of Life as Conveyed by 'Walden' Sofia Ribeiro 11th Grade

It is a common fear that people have about whether or not they are wasting their lives with the limited amount of time they were given on earth. In “Where I Lived and What I Lived For,” Henry David Thoreau explores what he thinks the true meaning of life is and how he carries out living to his fullest potential, not wasting any time. Thoreau wished to enjoy life at its essence, or experience what it was like to strip life down to the bare minimum in order to truly live. He would think people overcomplicate their way of life in contemporary America and get too caught up in petty things that don’t have any real importance. By living simply with the intention of being one with nature and not getting caught up in material things, one would be able to achieve living life to the fullest and truly experience what it means to live.

Thoreau deeply believed in living a simple life reduced to its bare bones in order to truly live to the fullest. He comments on how people almost flaunt their complicated way of life, with the necessity to build and build and build upon things to the point where we lose touch with life itself. He maintains sanity and control of his life by “[letting his] affairs be as two or three.” It is his top priority to...