Thoreau's Walden As Relevant Today

The issues that Henry Thoreau raises in Walden are as relevant today as they were when he first wrote about them. Thoreau talks about how people are all racing each other to the top of society without really knowing why. He believes that people need to slow down and to think about what it is they want out of life, before it is too late.
One of Thoreau’s main concerns is the idea of working toward a goal without understanding what it really is. He further explains this idea when, while talking about inheriting a farm, instead of mentioning the upsides of ownership like money, a job, and property, Thoreau stresses how cumbersome and entrapping ownership really is. In today’s society, such a scenario is equivalent to that of someone inheriting

a small family restaurant. Yes, steady income and work can be fantastic, but at the same time, opportunities for career exploration can be severely limited; as Thoreau says, “why should they begin digging their graves as soon as they are born?” (A, 4).
Thoreau’s other concern for society is that people aren’t planning for life properly. He heavily scrutinizes the idea of working hard during one’s younger more fruitful years, in order to enjoy their older years. Thoreau believes that if someone waits too long to do something like travel the world, then they may not enjoy it as much since, “they may [lose] their elasticity and desire to travel by that time”(D, 10). This mentality of working for the end is common practice in today’s society and is often imbued into people at a fairly young age.
Lastly, Thoreau argues the idea of improving one’s life through consumerism. He says that people consume too much and often try to keep up with their neighbors in order to feel rich, when in reality, they are just making themselves poor by failing to appreciate what they already have. Thoreau points out how most people already have too much stuff and implies that most of it can probably be gotten rid of when he says, “a good housewife would sweep out the greater part into the dust hole” (C, 13). This concern is probably even more relevant than the previous ones because people from Thoreau’s time were never exposed to as much advertising as people are today.
Thoreau concludes with the idea that if people take the time to scrutinize their goals in life, they may see things in a different way and ultimately change their goals for the better. He also highlights the fact that people only live once, so they better make it count.