ual to determine right from wrong, independent of the dictates of society. Thoreau's friends agreed with his views, but few practiced it in their own lives as consistently as he. Thoreau demonstrated his idea of independence in many ways. He worked for pay intermittently, he made relationships with many of the towns outcasts, he never married, he signed off from the First Parish Church rather than be taxed automatically to support it every year, and he lived alone in the woods for two years, in seclusion. His nearest neighbor was at least a mile away. While he was living independently in the woods, he thought of many new ideas for his literature. Thoreau even tried to encourage others to assert their individuality, each in his or her own way. He also believed that independent, well-considered actions arose naturally from a questing attitude of mind. He was first and foremost an explorer, of both the world around him and the world within him. In his most popular piece ever, Walden, he stated this: "Be a Columbus to whole new continents and worlds within you, opening new channels, not of trade, but of thought,"(Walden, p. 321). Also, Thoreau's celebration of solitude was a natural outgrowth of his commitment to the idea of individual action. This following idea also brought up a point in Walden. "The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready,"(Walden, pg.72) Many of Thoreau's ideas of individualism can be found as major statements in his writing. Thoreau came to much of his great literature due to the amount of experiences he had throughout his life. His major experience was living at Walden Pond for two years and learning about his own life and about the wonders of nature. Thoreau even stated himself, "I learned this, at least, from experience." Here, he was talking about how he got all the information for his book Walden totally from experiences. Although Walden was only moder...
