Rushing Through Life: Looking Back at Thoreau


With fall break coming up next weekend, I found myself coordinating plans with friends and trying to figure out transportation for those said plans. While doing this, I couldn’t help but think of how much we emphasize getting from one place to the next as quickly as possible. We live in a culture where we have Uber but cringe when we realize we’ll have to wait 10 or 15 minutes when we could be getting in one now. We want to travel to new places but don’t stop to appreciate the journey to get to one place to another and see long car rides as opportunities to sleep instead of staring out the window to see what is out there on the way.
With this situation, I could not help but think of Thoreau and our class discussions from weeks ago. Although it took me some time to warm up to Thoreau, as I viewed his work as long-winded with details and some of his observations caught me off guard, I now realize that many of his opinions and observations are relevant to my life now. The quote that sticks out to me the most is “I have learned that the swiftest traveller is he that goes afoot.”
While this quote seems very far-fetched—after all, a car is arguably faster than walking—it made me think of how we as a society rush life and quickly run from one place to the next and how I could change this. There have been multiple times where something is close to my apartment complex or near campus and I will still insist on driving because I dread the walk. Even on campus I rush from class to the next one, ready to go back to sitting at a desk rather than truly appreciating the trees and flowers on the way. TCU is a beautiful campus and I’ll even admit that I perhaps don’t appreciate it enough as I should.

How do I combat this then? This week, I’m promising to myself (weather permitting) to sit outside for at least an hour a day to spend in the fresh air rather than being stuck in a class chair or my apartment. I won’t deny it’s going to be a busy week with finishing assignments before break, but the fresh air will only help me get a peace of mind.

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