Henry David Thoreau was actually born David Henry Thoreau, after his uncle who died shortly before his birth. His name did not change until after he graduated from college. He was known for being a reflective and simple man, one who studied and valued nature and our relationship with it. 

Most people know Thoreau for his most famous work, Walden, which was composed during his two year project of simple living, where he lived alone in a small cabin near Walden Pond in his hometown of Concord, Massachusetts. Few people are aware that Thoreau was also heavily involve in botany and natural history, and in studying the cycles and seasons of nature – especially in Concord. He was also an avid advocate for hiking, canoeing, and other outdoor recreational activity. His writings on the relations of people and nature can be seen as the beginnings of environmentalism.

Thoreau’s works compile over 20 volumes (this includes not only books and essays, but his own journals and poems), covering vastly more than simply appreciating nature and avoiding taxes (two topics he is quite known for). Here is an interesting quote that we might all relate to:

“Make the most of your regrets; never smother your sorrow, but tend and cherish it till it comes to have a separate and integral interest. To regret deeply is to live afresh.”

The message here appears to be counterintuitive at first, its certainly not common advice. What could he possibly mean by regretting deeply being the same as living afresh? Who says “afresh” anyways? Well, Thoreau does, and here I believe he uses it meaningfully.

Here encourages us to not resist the feelings within us that aren’t pleasant. He believes that they, too, should be appreciated instead of hidden or squashed down. Regrets and sorrow – for Thoreau – have a particular value to them, and when he says that regretting deeply is to live afresh, he likely is telling us that taking heed to these painful emotions can allow us to live ‘in a new or different way’ (thats what “afresh means,” for those of you wondering). 

Regret might teach us about one of our values that we may have violated, possibly something we had not paid attention to prior. Maybe we treated someone harshly, and now we have sinking feeling inside of us about it. Couldn’t we view this feeling as a signal to indicate something important? We know that we haven’t treated someone in a way that we see as best, and a part of us – an important part of us – is letting us know that we’ve gone against what we have determined to be the best way to communicate with people and deal with situations. This could be the impetus to drive us to make note of our behavior and never treat anyone in that way again, it could also be a signal to drive us to confront the issue directly and apologize sincerely.

Similarly, sorrow might bring insight into our own needs, and wisdom to change. Lets say we move away from home for a new job, and we awaken each morning feeling heavy and depressed – we cannot help but think about all that we might be missing out on at home, and the love and special connection that we have with the people we now miss so much. What can we draw from this experience, what kind of juice of life can we squeeze out of something so painful? Well, its possible that we have to change the way we think – change our perspective. We might come to understand that focusing on our losses will bring us to feel these losses, and that we should instead focus on fun ways we can keep our family connections and make new meaningful ones in our new location. This lesson in changing focus might carry over in import ways in other areas of our lives.

Thoreau would probably want us to view these feelings as part of the richness of our experience. Haven’t you had a terrible experience teach you an invaluable lesson? In a way, this kind of pain can drive us to understand ourselves and alter our course for the better. In this sense, being disturbed is a good thing – something that remains “undisturbed” isn’t going to change! So the next time you’re feeling sad, be glad, there’s something to be drawn from it. Plus, you won’t be sad forever, the cycles and seasons are always changing… I think Thoreau might have liked that analogy. 

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