The first section in Thoreau’s book Walden is titled “Economy.” It deals mostly with Thoreau’s ideas about “how to get [his] living honestly, with freedom left for [his] proper pursuits.”
The following are quotes from this section of the book along with my accompanying thoughts.
- “Most of the luxuries of, and many of the so-called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind.”
A thought that recurs to me often is about how those in modern poverty are living lives more luxurious than even the most wealthy kings 300 years ago. But despite this, they are still regarded as being “poor.”
Here is a description of America’s “poor” in a 2020 report from The Heritage Foundation:
“According to the government’s own data, the average American family or single person, identified as poor by the Census Bureau, lives in an air-conditioned, centrally heated house or apartment that is in good repair and not overcrowded. They have a car or truck. (Indeed, 43% of poor families own two or more cars.)
The home has at least one widescreen TV connected to cable, satellite, or a streaming service, a computer or tablet with internet connection, and a smartphone. (Some 82% of poor families have one or more smartphones.)
By their own report, the average poor family had enough food to eat throughout the prior year. No family member went hungry for even a single day due to a lack of money for food.
They have health insurance (either public or private) and were able to get all “necessary medical care and prescription medication” when needed.”
It seems that our understanding of poverty is relative to time and place. America’s “poor” are poor, relative to the upper-classes of America in the 21st century. But are they poor relative to the upper-classes of America in the 19th century? Or, relative to people in the Congo or Liberia?
- “When a man is warmed by the several modes which I have described, what does he want next? Surely not more warmth of the same kind, as more and richer food, larger and more splendid houses, finer and more abundant clothing, more numerous, incessant, and hotter fires, and the like.”
To understand this quote, it’s important to note that Thoreau believed that heat is the fundamental requirement of life. He arrived at this by finding heat to be the element held in common by the four main necessities of life: food, shelter, clothing, and fuel.
With this understanding, the quote above can be read thus: “When a man has satisfied the requirements for his survival, what does he want next?”
Thoreau’s answer: Surely not more of the same thing.
It is like sitting down for a meal. There is only so much food that one person can eat in a single sitting. To pile more than that amount onto one’s plate would be wasteful. When one becomes full, the rest will have to be thrown away.
It is the same principle over the longer duration of a lifetime. A man only needs so much. If he has more than what he requires, there will be some leftover after he dies.
There are at least a couple exceptions to this:
- Vanity: A man might seek higher quality in his essentials—”richer food, splendid houses, and finer clothing,” as Thoreau points out in the quote above. But Thoreau and I seem to be in agreement that this seems vain and not worthy of further consideration. Besides, if being honest with himself, a man is likely trying to achieve some higher aim by doing this (seeking esteem from others, for example).
- Charity: A man may need to provide for others in addition to himself. Maybe he has a family or a tribe that depend on him. Or, he might donate any of his excess earnings to charities that benefit the broader society.
It is also possible that a man does not think about what he is doing. Or he may be greatly influenced by those around him. He may continue to work a 9-to-5 job because his friends work jobs on a similar schedule and he is lonely at lunchtime on the weekdays if he is not downtown in an office.
- “When he has obtained those things which are necessary to life, there is another alternative than to obtain the superfluities; and that is, to adventure on life now, his vacation from humbler toil having commenced.”
I think Maslow’s hierarchy is a very helpful visual on this point.
The bottom two rows are “those things which are necessary to life.”
The top three rows are, I think, more in pursuit of what Thoreau refers to when he says “to adventure on life.”
My question is: when can a man make this transition? When can he stop working for the necessaries of life and start his adventure? How much money does he need?
A study by economist Angus Deaton and psychologist Daniel Kahneman analyzed the responses of 450,000 Americans polled by Gallup and Healthways in 2008 and 2009 and found that there are diminishing marginal returns of happiness after a person’s annual income increases above $75,000. Read more about the study here.
I think if you asked Thoreau, he would say the number is even less than $75,000 (probably significantly less). But not everyone is willing to build their own cabin in the woods and eat rice and molasses for every meal.
- “Some are “industrious,” and appear to love labor for its own sake, or perhaps because it keeps them out of worse mischief …”
There are some who fit well into the economy of their time. These are the fortunate few who are well paid for a trade in which they have both passion and talent. For these, the question I pose above (When can a man working for the necessaries of life and start his adventure?) is not a concern. Such a man that fits well into the economy, is already adventuring at the same time that he is receiving wages to pay for the necessaries of his life.
But the economy is not perfectly well-suited for all men. In other words, the economy chooses favorite according to the most productive industry at the time. Today, software engineers are the chosen. Bankers, lawyers, and doctors have been lucrative for some time. In some civilizations of the past, none were richer than soldiers and politicians. Explorers, gold diggers, and oil drillers have all had their times.
But what of those who wish to pursue a trade that has gone out of fashion? What if the trade for which a man has both passion and talent does not pay enough wages for the necessaries of his life?
Thoreau explains how he was able to earn his time to read and write by working as a day-laborer.
- “For more than five years I maintained myself thus solely by the labor of my hands, and I found that, by working about six weeks in a year, I could meet all the expenses of living.”
In other parts of Walden not quoted here, Thoreau explains how he was able to reduce his own expenses of living in four main categories: food, shelter, clothing, and fuel.
He even provides the exact figures of his expenses from July 4th to March 1st (presumably in the year 1845).
House: $28.12-1/2
Farm one year: $14.72-1/2
Food eight months: $8.74
Clothing, etc., eight months: $8.40-3/4
Oil, etc., eight months: $2.00
Total expenses: $61.99-3/4
Farm produce sold: $23.44
Earned by day-labor: $13.34
Total earnings: $36.78
This leaves a balance of $25.21-3/4. Thoreau explains that this amount was “very nearly the means with which [he] started.”
Also, most of the expenses incurred were involved in building his house by Walden Pond. A house is more often considered an investment or an asset, rather than an expense. Thoreau could have later sold the house to recoup his investment.
All things considered, it could be said that he even turned a profit. Other than the house, he believed he had gained “leisure and independence and health” for himself.
This being almost 200 years ago, it should be even easier for a modern person to achieve a similar system for themselves today, being that our base requirements for human survival (food, shelter, clothing, and fuel) have been mostly unchanged, while our means to satisfy our needs have improved (as a result of technology and modern economies).
- “For myself I found that the occupation of a day-laborer was the most independent of any, especially as it required only thirty or forty days in a year to support one. The laborer’s day ends with the going down of the sun, and he is then free to devote himself to his chosen pursuit, independent of his labor; but his employer, who speculates from month to month, has no respite from one end of the year to the other.”
I wonder, in our modern times, what other occupations would rank highly on Thoreau’s scale of independence? It must be an occupation that leaves a man, as Thoreau says, “free to devote himself to his chosen pursuit, independent of his labor.”
Tim Ferriss wrote a book called The 4-Hour Workweek that provides some answers to this question. He suggests building an online business that generates a passive income stream (i.e., income that requires a minimal investment of your time).
There are also sites like Fiverr and Upwork, which allow people to work as freelancers from virtually anywhere, anytime.
Another option would be to work for wages in a traditional setting for an amount of time until one has built up a sizable enough nest egg to earn a living from the profits on their investments. A 10% annual return on an account of $100,000 would yield roughly $10,000 per year. This would be ample annual income to survive for one who adopted Thoreau’s low-expense lifestyle.
- “The whole of my winters, as well as most of my summers, I had free and clear for study.”
Thoreau’s “chosen pursuit” was scholarly—mostly manifested, as far as I can tell from what I have read of his life, in reading and writing.
I realize that some have no “chosen pursuit.” This is a concern that is more fundamental than what we discuss here. These ideas are mainly for those who (1) have a “chosen pursuit, and (2) are responsible for securing for themselves their own necessaries of life.
For any who are not particularly motivated to spend their time on something other than their current daily occupation, or any trust fund babies who have all their necessaries paid for—these thoughts are of little use.
It also seems free time is not a good thing for everyone. Some wouldn’t know what to do with themselves when given the opportunity. Viktor Frankl’s “existential vacuum” is an idea worth reading on this topic.
- “I was more independent than any farmer in Concord, for I was not anchored to a house or farm, but could follow the bent of my genius, which is a very crooked one, every moment.”
I particularly like this quote because I identify strongly with a crooked bent of, er, I should say “creativity,” and avoid the arrogance of saying “genius,” as did Thoreau.
I have often had the experience of being in the office and wanting to follow my mind on a tangent unrelated to my office work, but instead must resist and remain focused. The necessity of such focus has been a good lesson for me, but I would like also to have the freedom to follow that “crooked bent” where it may go, even when it takes an unexpected turn.
- “But I have since learned that trade curses everything it handles; and though you trade in messages from heaven, the whole curse of trade attaches to the business.”
I think the general idea here is that you might enjoy something, but once you start doing it for money, then you might enjoy it less.
Thoreau explains that his attempt to become a teacher was a failure because he “did not teach for the good of [his] fellow-men, but simply for a livelihood.”
He also mentions that he tried trade (by “trade” I assume that Thoreau means business in general). This also, he could not do, because he found “that it would take ten years to get under way” and he was “afraid that [he] might by that time be doing what is called a good business.”
I have personally experienced this with my creative writing. There is a natural flow of creative energy that goes where it wants; the writer follows, creating along the way. It is hard enough to write creatively in this natural way.
It is even harder to control this process in a way that money and business require (for example, writing that which a market of readers will enjoy). Because then, as you are writing for “trade” (as Walden puts it), you are no longer following the natural flow of your creative energy. In my experience, the best writing comes from the natural flow.
- “As I preferred some things to others, and especially valued my freedom, as I could fare hard and yet succeed well, I did not wish to spend my time in earning rich carpets or other fine furniture, or delicate cookery, or a house in the Grecian or the Gothic style just yet.”
I am interested in the concept of “spending” one’s time. This reminds me of something my friend said, “Time is the currency I really care about.”
There are prices for everything. A gallon of milk is $4. A car is $30,000. A share of Google stock is $1,000.
What is the price for a person’s time?
We typically think of this in terms of wages. You make an agreement with a company when you sign an offer of employment. For example, I will trade a year’s worth of my time to the company in exchange for a $100,000 annual salary.
Some form of this bargain is natural. Before economies, man had to make a similar arrangement with nature. For example, I will devote two hours of my time to hunting and gathering each day in exchange for my daily meal.
The magic of our modern economy, is that man can now trade less of his time, in exchange for more. With the same two hours as the hunter, a modern man (working at $30 per hour) could go to the grocery store and purchase a week’s supply of food—a healthy and nutritious balance of fruits and breads and meats from all over the world.
The amount of effort required in order to survive is now less. If this were the case for the hunter, I wonder, would he stop hunting? And I ask the same of the modern man—if he has enough to survive, would he stop working?
Most modern men do not stop. They continue to work in the pursuit of more.
So let me ask that question a different way: If you could trade places with Warren Buffett, would you do it?
On one hand, you would be a multi-billionaire, one of the richest people alive. On the other hand, you would be close to 100 years old, and probably nearing your death.
I have asked several people this question and every one has said “no.”
It wasn’t obvious. They had to take some time to think about it. But in the end, they all came to the same conclusion that I came to myself: I wouldn’t trade the rest of my life for any amount of money.
So this logic must break down somewhere in the middle.
We are willing to give up an hour of our time for $30 or $40 dollars, but we we aren’t willing to give up the next 50 years of our life, even for billions of dollars.
Now, not everyone is making their decisions based on pure economic rationality. People often do what they are told to, or what others around them are doing. Some have nothing better to do. Some genuinely enjoy their work.
But for those like Thoreau, who value their freedom, and find no arrangement in the labor market to fit their needs—then it might be worth considering what exact amount of money is necessary in order to purchase freedom (from the requirements of survival, and therefore from the type of work that is aimed at survival) for the rest of their life.
- “In short, I am convinced, both by faith and experience, that to maintain one’s self on this earth is not a hardship but a pastime, if we will live simply and wisely; as the pursuits of the simpler nations are still the sports of the more artificial. It is not necessary that a man should earn his living by the sweat of his brow, unless he sweats easier than I do.”
I view this quote as having similar importance to society as this one by Blaise Pascal: “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”
Our way of life is changing more rapidly than at any other point in human history, yet it seems we have not quite yet figured how to actually live the lives that we have made possible for ourselves. Instead, we go right on making more and more possible.
How do you slow down a system that was built to never be stopped?
Sources:
Heritage Foundation article: https://www.heritage.org/poverty-and-inequality/commentary/how-poor-really-are-americas-poor
Maslow’s Hierarchy image: https://www.yogawallanyc.com/blog/2019/4/24/what-is-health-part-1
Time article on $75,000 study: http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2019628,00.html
Tim Ferris blog: https://tim.blog/
Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning: https://edisciplinas.usp.br/pluginfile.php/3403095/mod_resource/content/1/56ViktorFrankl_Mans%20Search.pdf