With his words, Henry David Thoreau began the saga of his observation of simple living at Walden Pond. Over the course of the next three hundred some-odd pages, Thoreau outlined his ideology of life, politics, and nature, shining light to a secure place in the canon of great American writers. Although Walden took delight in only moderate success in Thoreau's lifetime, his experiment at the pond would flare considerable interest in the years to come. The book has influenced other young people to follow his lead and retreat to a lonely spot--even if only in imagination--to ponder the world and their place in it. If the people in today’s society simply followed his wisdom of living a simple life, “eating an innocent and wholesome diet” (Thoreau 277), and respecting themselves, the world would be of higher quality. In Walden, Henry D. Thoreau presented an extensive and debatable view on society that was far…show more content… Thoreau states, “Every man is the builder of a temple, called his body, to the god he worships, after a style purely his own, nor can he get off by hammering marble instead” (Thoreau). Thoreau basically means that our bodies are considered very sacred to us, and we should be wary of what kind of food enters our sacred space. Especially in America, the obesity levels skyrocketed and today the vast majority of the population suffers from obesity. If people controlled their desire to eat impulsively, not only would our great country’s reputation of the “fattest country” dissipate, but her citizens could flourish in ways unimaginable. Like Thoreau says “Chastity is the flowering of man; and what are called Genius, Heroism, Holiness, and the like, are but various fruits which succeed it” (Thoreau). All things considered, following Thoreau’s advice about “treating [yourself] with ever increasing respect” (Thoreau 282) can only spread positivity in our
