Earth Day with Thoreau: Reflecting on Simplicity, Purpose, and Living Well

Make the most of Earth Day and join Brian Treanor, professor of philosophy, and other LMU faculty, students, and staff for an oral reading of Henry David Thoreau's "Walden." The themes of Thoreau's 1854 memoir, including mindfulness, refusal to give in to unnecessary wants, and nurturing our connection to nature, still resonate in our lives, 171 years later.

"We live in an age in which people read less and less. Certainly, people are reading fewer and fewer books; and, of those books that are read, 'classics' like 'Walden' are read less and less. This public reading allows our community to sit with each other and sit with one of the 'great books' of the American canon," says Treanor. "Few other works have so thoroughly influenced the American sense of self while remaining unread by most Americans. John Updike jokes that 'Walden' is a strong contender, after the Bible, for the most referenced and least read book in American culture."

The marathon reading will take place on Tuesday, April 22, on the serene bluff between Sacred Heart Chapel and the Jesuit Residence. Treanor estimates the complete reading of "Walden" will last approximately 12 hours. Treanor will begin the reading at 8 a.m. with contributing readers from Treanor's class "American Philosophy: Transcendentalism and Pragmatism" and other classes in the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts.

Treanor envisions opportunities for reflection and discussions as to how we might apply Thoreau's insights in our own lives. Students are encouraged to bring journals, sketchbooks, painting equipment, crocheting, binoculars, or other paraphernalia for non-disruptive activities to occupy or express themselves during the reading. "Coming to the bluff to listen to 'Walden' and reflect on what it has to say is at least a step away from the internet and cell phones and social media, and a step back into the lived world-sun and sky and weathers, humans and other animals, plants, topography, and so on," says Treanor. To entice you further, Treanor highlights three more compelling reasons to join in the Earth Day celebration by embracing Thoreau's wisdom.

• "Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end." Walden invites us to think about what philosophers call the telos of human life, which Thoreau calls the "chief end of man." Most people work frantically to achieve what they are "supposed" to achieve without ever thinking about whether that goal is the right one.
• "Alert and healthy natures remember that the sun rose clear. It is never too late to give up our prejudices." Walden is a text full of hope. It reminds us that, while we often sleepwalk through life, each of us is capable of greatness. We just need to wake up.
• "In proportion as [a person] simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness. If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them." Walden is both a utopian dream and a practical blueprint; it encourages the reader not to imitate Thoreau, which misses the point, but rather, inspired by Thoreau, to find their own path.

"A public reading like this is precisely the kind of thing that should be happening at university. Something that does not really happen often in post-graduate life. Something focused on 'big' ideas about life and purpose. Something unrelated to productivity or professionalization, achievement, or outcomes. Just thinking about what it is to be human and what it means to live well," says Treanor. All are welcome to stop by for a few minutes or stay for a few hours. See you on April 22!