After sharing the following experience, I received a very good comment from a reader, which I address later in the post:
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The book Henry Builds A Cabin is a child’s story about the adventures Henry David Thoreau had while building his cabin in the woods. After reading the book to my elementary school class, I asked how many of them enjoy spending time in nature:
“Do you like to eat dinner outside by the garden like Henry?”
“Do you like to read books outdoors like Henry?”
“Wouldn’t it be so fun to dance down by the pond like Henry?”
Heads began to nod and hands flew into the air as the children began recounting the fun memories they’d had spending time in the great outdoors: eating, reading, and playing.
That weekend, reflecting on the conversation my students and I had had about spending as much time as possible outdoors, I made the spontaneous decision to eat my lunch in the backyard by the garden, and to read a book out on the grass, with the sun shining down on me.
I even did a few twirls on the lawn in celebration of the beautiful weather.
Henry Builds A Cabin reminded me of Thoreau’s inspiring experiences with nature and, after a weekend of my own spent in the great outdoors, I’m grateful for that.
Comment from reader:
“Help me out in thinking through this… I am an outdoor lover… I love a quiet life out in nature. However, as a Christian, I feel like Henry Thoreau is not really a person to admire, even though I appreciate and love of nature and his lifestyle. It’s his mindset that is very dangerous I think… I am getting ready to look at this again as I put my next two children through American literature. Wasn’t his mindset to seek the answer from inside himself. And to turn to his inner strength, his inner intelligence, to fulfill his life.
I would like to hear what some seasoned mature Christian literature lovers think.
I feel like almost everyone, just admires his quiet lifestyle in his cabin by the pond, but MISS the dangerous philosophy that he advocated. We don’t turn to ourselves to figure out life, for answers and fulfillment- we need to turn to God – is this not true?
Transcendentalism does not acknowledge Jesus Christ’s work on the cross as being primary or essential in christianity. Rather that we each need to define who and what God is to them.
Am I right? Please correct me as I’m just trying to work through this myself.
Thoreau was deeply influenced by the transcendentalist ideas of Emerson. They developed a friendship when Thoreau came to Harvard where Emerson was staying at the time. Emerson was like a father and a friend to Thoreau.
I want to love his quotes and the idea of him at his cabin alone in the woods but I think I should not separate his message and philosophy on life from this beautiful quiet life image I have of him.”
My response:
To begin, I shared this post in several book review groups, most being generic (not Christian-specific) in nature, but given this is a Christian-specific book review group, I feel a further explanation would be helpful.
In my home and family, God is our source of peace, with nature being just one of many avenues for drawing closer to God.
Unfortunately, as a school teacher, I am not permitted to speak about God. Sadly, I am surrounded all day by students who struggle with attention-deficit, anxiety, and learning disorders, and who choose to spend much, if not all, of their free time at home playing video games, watching popular movies, and reading questionable books. How much outdoor nature time are they exposed to? From what they’ve shared with me, practically zero. What are the consequences? A weakened connection with God, and increased attention-deficit, anxiety, and learning disorders.
In an effort to introduce (or reintroduce) nature as a “free time” option, and open a discussion about the benefits of spending time in nature, I read this book about Henry David Thoreau to my students. I consider it a neutral book; one that doesn’t speak of God, but that also has no obvious negative agenda to it. After reading the book, it’s so fun to listen to a handful of my students recall the wonderful memories they’ve had in years’ past playing at the park with friends, fishing with their grandpa, or going on a picnic with their family.
My children have always loved this book about Thoreau, but because our faith is planted firmly in God, we see nature as a way to draw us closer to God, rather than replace God.
My approach with my students would most assuredly be different if I could include God in the conversation. Since that is not possible, it is my hope that my students will grow to recognize God as they choose to spend more time in nature.
Other nature books I recommend:
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder
Slow Down: 50 Mindful Moments in Nature
Red Knit Cap Girl and the Reading Tree
Now, the topic of transcendentalism.
The older I get, the more curious I become as to why certain individuals have been pushed to the forefront of our educational institutions, while others were left behind. Why is it that we spend so much time learning about Thoreau, Emerson, Hemingway, and countless other authors, poets, philosophers, scientists, etc. who have no foundation in God? Why do we not learn more about C.S. Lewis, and George MacDonald, who was influential in C.S. Lewis’ conversion to Christianity? Why did I not learn about Deitrich Bonhoeffer until I was an adult? What about Solzhenitsyn, Chesterton, Gauss, Heisenberg, Wilberforce, and Susanna Wesley? And, oh, how our world would be different if we spent more time learning about Jesus, the Apostle Paul, King David, and Esther. These individuals knew that their greatest source of peace came from God and, further, that that peace could be had in the midst of the chaos of life, that God could be found in the here and now, that retreating to a cabin in the woods was entirely optional.
Last year, after my high school son reported to me the list of classic books he had read (because I’d asked him to read them), I was troubled. I found myself wondering, “Why are North and South and Walden and the poetry of Hemingway deemed essential ‘classic’ reads for school age children? Who created those ‘must-read classic book lists’ anyway?” While there is likely some good to be found in books deemed ‘the classics’, I’ve decided to bypass the “good” for the “better and best” by creating my son’s next reading list, based on books that will truly build his character, while strengthening his foundation in God. Thoughts For Young Men by Ryle is at the top of that list.
In summary, I do believe it is dangerous to put too much focus on individuals who are not grounded in God, Thoreau included. That said, we certainly should not desire to erase him from history. Everyone who has ever lived has both positive and negative qualities. We can choose to admire the positive and learn from the negative. (From a Christian’s perspective, love of nature=positive; transcendentalism=negative.)
Now, I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on the topic of Christianity versus transcendentalism.
Photo Credit: Pexel image by Ricky Esquivel
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