Thoreau publishes Walden

A Fourth of July meditation on an American Taoist Spiritual classic

Sometime in March of 1845, Henry David Thoreau's friend the poet Ellery Channing famously advised him, "Go out upon that, build yourself a hut, & there begin the grand process of devouring yourself alive. I see no other alternative, no other hope for you."

Few have given anyone better advice. And, in the rarest of confluences, Thoreau saw the wisdom in his friend's suggestion, and acted on it, building himself that hut.

And it was on the 4th of July, in 1845 Thoreau moved into his hut. Whether the date was conscious or just when everything came together, I don’t know. But I suspect intentional or not, the date didn’t escape his notice. It was, after all, something of a declaration of independence for him.