While it may not be the hottest of places to visit, Concord and Walden Pond hold significant meaning for me. I first delved into the writings of Thoreau on ‘Civil Disobedience’ and ‘Walden’ when I was a young engineering student in the mid-1980s. It fascinated me that this American of the early 19th century was influenced by the Gita and regarded Walden with the same reverence as a devout Hindu regards the Ganges.

In turn, his writings would influence the likes of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., inspiring them in their own battles of civil disobedience. Thoreau himself was even arrested for not paying taxes, his way of protesting against slavery.

My curiosity about Thoreau, his motivations, and my fascination for what he saw around him, along with his writings, prompted me to explore Concord, often during my years in Massachusetts.

Concord, Massachusetts:

Sometimes, there is always a hint of irony when times change. The wilderness of the town of Concord, Massachusetts, that Thoreau described in ‘Walden Pond’ has transformed into sought-after prime real estate for the affluent today. Concord Academy and Middlesex School in Concord are among the best schools in the state.

Concord was the site of the Battle of Lexington and Concord, which took place on April 19, 1775, and marked the beginning of the American War of Independence. Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Nathaniel Hawthorne are among those associated with Concord. The city has made great strides towards preserving its culture.

Situated near the woods and its proximity to the Concord River, the area is popular among outdoor enthusiasts and offers opportunities for kayaking and canoeing.

Concord Center, or Main Street, boasts many buildings that date back to the 19th century. Eateries, craft stores, souvenir shops, and restaurants also make Concord Center a place worth visiting.

Walden Pond

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

Walden Pond, popularized worldwide through Thoreau’s writings, is another great place of natural beauty. While not as serene as Thoreau described it, Walden Pond is ideal for a picnic and perhaps some weekday reflection.

A replica of the cabin built by Thoreau, where he stayed from July 1845 to September 1847, stands beside the lake. It is a one-room cabin closely designed with the same dimensions as the one Thoreau built. Its prime purpose is to inspire and educate visitors about Thoreau’s transcendental teachings and his ideas on simplicity.

Walden Pond is protected as part of the Walden Pond State Reservation, managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. This organization helps maintain the pond and its surrounding areas. The area also includes a souvenir shop where visitors can purchase mementos to remind them of this special venue.

Quotes

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.“

This quote below has been one of the guideposts for all my writing:

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”

“Make the most of your regrets; never smother your sorrow, but tend and cherish it till it comes to have a separate and integral interest. To regret deeply is to live afresh.”

“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”

“Simplify, simplify, Simplify!”

To this quote, Emerson responded , “One ‘simplify‘ would have sufficed.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_David_Thoreau

https://www.forbes.com/sites/taxnotes/2021/07/29/thoreaus-arrest-for-tax-protesting-was-illegal—and-it-changed-the-world/?sh=5b38f95e4e04