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Walden reminds us what is really important in life. Watching the seasons change anew. The heroic story of two colonies of ants battling in the pine needles unnoticed by man. The artwork of nature and the universe that no painter or poet can match. Things we know intuitively as children, but forget in the duties and rules of adult life. Thoreau shows us a way we can live on our own terms. I think it's something we all want, but too few of us are able and courageous enough to find it. I found myself at a conflict reading this book. On one hand, I crave the simple life and independence that Thoreau presents (as seemingly the only right way to live). But, on the other, I can't see the world supporting 7 billion Walden ponds for us all to escape to. This book was written at a very different time. I think society has it's restrictions for a reason, and while it's nice to think about what it would be like without them, we don't all have the privilege to just ignore them. He says every man should be friction to the machine of the government, but wouldn't it just grind to halt? Who would enforce justice then?

I had a hard time keeping patient through some parts of the book. I would have probably gave up on it if I didn't like Thoreau's writing style so much. I think you either like the poetic style riddled with metaphors or you don't. I liked it and think it made some of his ideas easier to understand. Though he sometimes comes across to me as a 19th century hipster ("holier than thou" like another reviewer said), he still has some really great ideas on self reliance. This book has had a great effect on American society, and it was worth seeing the ideas behind it.