Reading Thoreau for the second time, I found myself still not interested in what he had to say. In high school, my English teacher got so excited about the Trancendentalism unit, but many of the students did not share his enthusiasm. Many times transcendentalism is full of words and ideas; there are not many actions. Thoreau states his beliefs on government, mainly, in this selection. He feels that "the government which governs best governs least." To a point, I agree with him. One can find many faults with the government today. However, there are also tons of successes. Some of the faults: Although i have my own opinions on it, gay marraige. The fact that some states don't allow some people to get married just based on sexual orientation is wrong. I was raised in a small town and went to a small christian church. Some of the little old ladies would gasp if they heard me say that. I was raised to believe that marraige is between a man and a woman, and I still do believe that. Although, I don't think it is fair or just that gays are not allowed to be married in some states. A victory for the government- repealing Don't Ask Dont' Tell. For so long, gays were not allowed to openly serve in the military. our military numbers are dwindling each year, and the US wanted to turn people away based on sexual orientation. Wow. I feel that it is the right thing that it was lifted.
I loved Thoreau's point on living simply. The more simply he lives, the less he has to lose. So many Americans today live beyond their means... I wonder why everyone is in so much debt??? Maybe if we took a note from Thoreau we could live simpler and probably happier. If there weren't so many material things to focus on, then we could focus on each other and bettering our relationships.
I think that by writing this Thoreau thougth he could get a point across to the legislatures in the government. However, I still think if he wants something done about the government, then he needs to get up and take some action.
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