Rousseau, Thoreau, and a Mountain Man

When reading “A Discourse on Inequality,” what really struck me was Rousseau’s view of society. Throughout the article, he explains how he thinks that society is essentially this evil creation that is unnatural to humans. He argues that humans are naturally meant to live in solitude and but because of the development of language and the concept of property, society has inequalities and injustices among people. All of this talk of solitude and the state of nature made me think of Henry David Thoreau, a philosopher we learned about earlier in the year. In his book, Walden, Thoreau addresses a similar view of society. He believes that humans are better of without it and that being alone with nature is the actual way that humans were designed to live. His entire purpose for writing Walden in the first place was because of an experiment he decided to do in 1845. He moved in to a small log cabin by Walden pond which was pretty much in the middle of nowhere. He did this so that he could isolate himself from the evils of society and better connect with nature in order to observe and learn from it. Thoreau spent every single day for two years going on long walks through the woods by Walden Pond, doing whatever he could to bond with nature around him and learning from it.  Once he finished his daily walk, he would return to his log cabin to write down what he learned in a series of journals.  His daily journal entries were later combined and published as his book Walden, one of his greatest and proudest accomplishments. In his book, Thoreau echoes Rousseau’s hatred for the greed and corruption in society. He also shares Rousseau’s view of property. Thoreau thinks that it is not one person’s right to own the land that he lives on, but that instead it is his job to take care of it and connect with it.

Although both Rousseau and Thoreau are great at creating these grand theories, are they really practical in real life? Even though Thoreua was able to isolate himself from society, it was only for a two year time span, after which he returned to his hometown to live the rest of his life with society. Rousseau as well even admits that our society has become so developed that it is hard to think of a world without one. Although he thinks the perfect world would involve everyone being isolated without all of this corruption and evil, he recognizes that there is pretty much no escaping the society that we live in.

But what if there is? What if there is a way to live your life away from all of these evils and become connected with nature and all of its glory like were supposedly supposed to live? Do you think that it is even possible with the globalization of society where you can pretty much go anywhere in the world and be immersed in politics and economy? And probably an even more important question, if it were possible, would you do it?

If we wanted to follow Thoreau’s example, we do always have the option of moving out to the woods and living in a shack to become one with nature. Although it seems crazy to do in today’s society, it is possible. I know this for a fact because my own older brother is living out this fantasy.  My brother, Randy, lives in the mountains of Utah for his job as a guide at Boulder Outdoor Survival School. He teaches people how to live off the land, make their own fires, and other important necessities for surviving in the wild. If any of you have ever watched T.V. shows like "Survivor Man" or "Dual Survival," its kind of like that. He actually used to work with the blonde guy in "Dual Survival." He even looks looks the part of a mountain man, full beard and all. Although he does make money from his job, he only makes enough to get by, and does it for the love of what he does rather than being profit driven. He sleeps under the stars almost every night is connected with nature just as Thoreau was in the 1800’s. Although he is technically still interacting with people, he is not a part of the corruption and politics of society like most people. He is separated, only connecting with other people who want to be separated from society as much as he does. Falling in line with Rousseau’s ideas, most of the people that he works worth are very peaceful and have no need to fight over property or possessions. The only inequalities between people are those of physical strength and endurance. My brother would agree with Rousseau and Thoreau on the premises that being separated from the evils of society allows you to better connect with nature and provides for a more peaceful way of life.

An actual picture of my brother on top of a mountain in Utah

Although I admire my brother for his passions, I realize that this is a very radical example and perhaps not the most practical life choice for all of us.  Even Thoreau did not spend his entire life separated from society in the wilderness.  He explains that living at Walden pond was not a life decision, but just an experiment to see what knowledge he could gain from nature during that time.  I simply am using my brother as an example that being separated from society’s corruption is still possible, although difficult. As a very social person who likes debating politics and social issues, I personally would prefer not to be separated from society. I enjoy too much being surrounded by people and getting to know the diverse opinions that others can have, although I do not always agree with all of them. Although I agree with Rousseau that society does have its faults and corruptions, I believe that in the end, the benefits outweigh the detriments. What do you think?