"Happiness is like a butterfly, the more you chase it the more it will elude you. But if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder"

The Life and Legacy of Henry David Thoreau: A Simple Journey to the Real Meaning of Life

On July 12, 1817, one of America’s most influential thinkers, writers, and transcendentalists, Henry David Thoreau, was born in Concord, Massachusetts. Famous for his writings on nature, simplicity, and civil disobedience, Thoreau’s work continues to inspire individuals seeking deeper meaning in their lives. As we celebrate his birth anniversary today, it’s an opportune moment to reflect on how Thoreau’s philosophy and books helped him discover what he believed was the true meaning of life — and how those lessons resonate in our modern, often complicated world.

Somewhere in the West

Continuing my month long series of posts with images made in New Mexico with the Great Divide as my focus or jumping off point. This is the Crosslands Bible Church, approximately five miles up Highway 371 from Thoreau, New Mexico.

“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation.”

While I like the first part, the second is what really got me and made me look up from the page and think for a moment. We think resignation is not caring anymore. We use it as almost a synonym to “apathetic”. But it isn’t. It is desperation. You are in such a grave situation of wanting or needing something so badly, yet not getting or doing it, that you have no choice but to just “give up” on it. Let it go, let it move on its own without your interference. Even when inside you are so desperate, it almost rips you apart. That is at least my interpretation of it.