What would Thoreau say?
Through my 62 some years I have had many heros. From Thomas Jefferson to Ron Santo to Jesus, so many people have influenced my life and helped create my approach to the world. None has had more impact though than Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862). HDT, most famous for the book he wrote about living at Walden Pond in Concord, MA Walden, was in my mind America's most important philosopher who proposed a way of life designed to bring people happiness, which to some extent at least, I have followed. Simplify, simplify, Thoreau said. For this alone I am grateful for this has been my mantra for many many years.
But he wrote much more than that. He was a strict critic of 'politics as usual' and the stupidity of wealth dictating influence (uh, Trump anyone?). Thoreau told us that life was to be lived mindfully, aware of each day and its being a gift. And he taught us that those in public life and culture that work to deprive us of those gifts are to be opposed vehemently and loudly.
A few weeks ago I started to blog (after being taught how by my son Kurt) and I wrote about Simple Christianity. I wrote that I intended to begin advocating a simple return to that simple faith following Jesus, the man. I still intend to do that.
But I realized to write about religion exclusively was to limit my ability to channel my inner Thoreau and speak truth to power when I saw fit. I realized I had more to say than that.
Thus is born What Would Thoreau Say? or as we will call it WWTS...here I will rant against the hate mongers who seem to be taking over our public discourse...I will take on the pseudo religion-ists that pervert the beauty of spiritual disciplines for personal gain. And I will write about life centered in love and simplicity and caring for our fellow humans as something attainable, something real and something worth striving for.
This blog will be green, decidedly green. Thoreau is generally recognized as America's first environmentalist after all...and it is in this arena that I think, to some extent, we as a species and planet are the most threatened.
This blog will be from the left. Anyone that knows me knows where I come from politically and I will use every word I can muster to oppose the people that have hijacked our government and our body politic and turned us right-ward.
I will also rave. I will talk about the good things going in the world and encourage people to be involved and to find out how they can help the good guys. I intend to write a lot about just where Thoreau is alive and well, where his belief in the basic goodness of people is being lived out.
In short I will ask, when considering an issue, "what would Thoreau say," and then I will guess at the answer and write it.
I hope this blog will become a public forum. Yes, even those that disagree with me (many many people) are encouraged to take me on and respond. But more importantly I hope those that agree with me (and Thoreau) will pass on our thoughts and ideas and see if we can influence others.
We don't have to give up the world to the hate mongers. We don't have to just sit back and take getting Gingeriched or Palin-ed. We can fight back. And maybe some of the words in this blog will provide the ammunition we need to do just that.
Kurt Aschermann
But he wrote much more than that. He was a strict critic of 'politics as usual' and the stupidity of wealth dictating influence (uh, Trump anyone?). Thoreau told us that life was to be lived mindfully, aware of each day and its being a gift. And he taught us that those in public life and culture that work to deprive us of those gifts are to be opposed vehemently and loudly.
A few weeks ago I started to blog (after being taught how by my son Kurt) and I wrote about Simple Christianity. I wrote that I intended to begin advocating a simple return to that simple faith following Jesus, the man. I still intend to do that.
But I realized to write about religion exclusively was to limit my ability to channel my inner Thoreau and speak truth to power when I saw fit. I realized I had more to say than that.
Thus is born What Would Thoreau Say? or as we will call it WWTS...here I will rant against the hate mongers who seem to be taking over our public discourse...I will take on the pseudo religion-ists that pervert the beauty of spiritual disciplines for personal gain. And I will write about life centered in love and simplicity and caring for our fellow humans as something attainable, something real and something worth striving for.
This blog will be green, decidedly green. Thoreau is generally recognized as America's first environmentalist after all...and it is in this arena that I think, to some extent, we as a species and planet are the most threatened.
This blog will be from the left. Anyone that knows me knows where I come from politically and I will use every word I can muster to oppose the people that have hijacked our government and our body politic and turned us right-ward.
I will also rave. I will talk about the good things going in the world and encourage people to be involved and to find out how they can help the good guys. I intend to write a lot about just where Thoreau is alive and well, where his belief in the basic goodness of people is being lived out.
In short I will ask, when considering an issue, "what would Thoreau say," and then I will guess at the answer and write it.
I hope this blog will become a public forum. Yes, even those that disagree with me (many many people) are encouraged to take me on and respond. But more importantly I hope those that agree with me (and Thoreau) will pass on our thoughts and ideas and see if we can influence others.
We don't have to give up the world to the hate mongers. We don't have to just sit back and take getting Gingeriched or Palin-ed. We can fight back. And maybe some of the words in this blog will provide the ammunition we need to do just that.
Kurt Aschermann
Gosh, I left a nice long comment, then I had to create a google account to leave the comment, then my comment got lost in the midst of creating the account, so now my well thought out words are gone and with it my brain power for the day!! Suffice it to say, I like the focus of this new blog. I think it will allow for a wider range of conversations from a broader field of thinkers and activists than the original blog. Congratulations, Kurt! I look forward to reading what you and others have to say, and, who knows, I might even be bold enough to add my two bits occasionally.
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