I feel that Thoreau makes two very important points in his essay. His main point
is that the human race seems to have lost the ability to distinguish between the things we want and the things we need. We are so caught up in the world of technology and everything else that we forget to take time for the things that really matter like friends and family. The second point Thoreau make is we should keep life simple. We should let the little things overwhelm us, and we should take one thing at a time.
I think as a society, during the past year we have started to understand the importance of friends and family. With the anniversary of September 11th just yesterday, we were once again reminded of how vulnerable we really are. The fact is we are not invincible. Any one of us could die at any second. Many of us tend to doubt fate assuming that we have a long life ahead of us, but the truth is we really do not know. No one knows when the day, minute, or second will come when we breathe our last breath. I do not think that any of the near three thousand people that died that day woke up thinking it would be their last day on Earth. I also doubt that their family members thought that they would never see them again. Once again Thoreau’s point comes to mind that we should forget about the petty things and embrace the things that really matter.
I sincerely agree with Thoreau’s point, but I will also admit that I too tend to lose sight of the important things that matter to me like family and friends. I have gone through certain ordeals this year that have really helped me to see what is really important.
This past November, my mom was hospitalized for a week due to several different health problems. A few months after she was released from the hospital, she became sick again. After a series of doctor visits and agonizing tests, they were still uncertain what was wrong with her. The hardest part about her being sick was that the doctors did not know what was making her sick. The irony of the situation was that my mother was the one who helped me to cope with the circumstances.
This past July, a liver biopsy confirmed that my mother has surosis. Most people assume that people with this disease are alcoholics, but that is not the reason that she has this disease. There are several different ways you can get this disease, but they are not sure what caused her case.
My mom has kept a positive attitude throughout this whole ordeal. She has a motto, which she calls the here and the now. She says, “I’m here now”. She has helped me to view life in a different way, and to appreciate every day that I am alive. Through the trials that I have had to go through, I have been able to realize that possessions are not what really matters. What really matters is being with your family and friends and being happy.