National Simplicity Day: Celebrating the Birth Anniversary of Henry David Thoreau

July 12 is National Simplicity Day, commemorating the birth anniversary of Henry David Thoreau. Born and brought up in England to a protestant descent family. He was a renowned American naturalist, author, essayist, poet, philosopher and a lifelong abolitionist who always rose his voice against fugitive slave practice.

Significance

Henry David Thoreau was an ardent follower of simply living life, who always promoted living life with simple necessary kinds of stuff and avoiding unnecessary luxurious life. In his unfinished journals and manuscript, he always encouraged humans to spend ti,e with the family and family. The people who are blood-related or emotionally attached. Knowing their presence and importance in life is the true happiness of life. As per the 21st century, we can convey his message that we should avoid social media and try to appreciate the presence of the people who are near to us.

The theme for National Simplicity Day 2022 is to “Look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities “, 2022, which means we should always choose the things necessary for our living and stop spending money, time and effort on unnecessary things.

Facts

Henry David Thoreau was a great follower of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther king Jr., who appreciated their view on life and their contribution to their nation and countrymen.

In his book “Walden” and his essay “Civil Disobedience“, he appreciated Mahatma Gandhi‘s life, his simple living, his self-reliant nature etc.

Contributions

Thoreau was an environmentalist who attributed much of his articles, essays and journals to environmental history and his understanding of the conservation of nature.

He mentioned in many of his journals and manuscripts the benefits of simple living without complexity which helps increase life expectancy and peace of mind.

Within a short life span of 44 years, he wrote over 50 unfinished journals, essays, and manuscripts which were never published during his lifetime. Henry David Thoreau published only 2 of his books during his life time and later, all his works were finished and published by his friends.

Thoreau’s Vision

Thoreau’s vision was crystal clear, and he was a true follower of simplicity. In his books, he has encouraged the world to select the path of simple living without harming the poor human, snatching their piece of bread for the sake of luxury as they cannot afford expensive things. And the very important message Thoreau conveys is to spend time with family and friends, value the one who is important, and stand by us in our sorrow and joy.