A reflection/response to Henry David Thoreau's "Economy".
Just for fun, I try to adopt Thoreau's unconventional-yet-oddly-satisfying writing style in parts of this response.
Enjoy -- and stay curious.
I write the following pages, or rather the bulk of them, in the presence of others––not in solitude but in deep companionship. I chose to immerse myself in a community of diverse thought, surrounded by individuals who each have a unique gift and a special story to share. At present I am a full-time resident in civilized life; I do not see this changing anytime soon.
Due to a delay in the process of obtaining my driver’s license, I have been a frequent user of Uber this past month to transport myself back home. Though many may view my circumstances as discomforting or unfortunate, I have come to realize that the absence of my license was a blessing in disguise: Uber is one of many avenues that offered me a chance to both experiment and challenge Henry David Thoreau’s ideas about the validity of social relationships.
The logistics of Uber guarantee an interaction with another human being: an arbitrary driver in your vicinity accepts a travel request and transports you from one place to another. An Uber trip can be framed as a journey with an element of surprise as the driver, car model, travel fee, and arrival time are subject to change and carry a degree of randomness. Based on a surface-level observation of Uber’s offerings, Thoreau would criticize users of Uber and encourage them to travel on their own two feet. Dissecting the hedonic treadmill and humans’ mere focus on getting from point A to B without considering the importance of what they achieve in either, Thoreau argues that “the swiftest traveler is he that goes afoot” (Thoreau 39). In essence, paying for Uber is a wasteful investment, and the money should be saved on other endeavors that facilitate self-exploration and allows individuals to “crave only reality” (70). More significantly, Thoreau encourages a life of absolute independence and urges that one can only succeed when traveling alone as “he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready, and it may be a long time before they get off” (52). Even if cooperation exists, Thoreau claims that the two parties can only uphold a relationship that is “exceedingly partial and superficial” (52).
That said, my Uber journeys––which prevented me from traveling on my own two feet, cost a (certainly not cheap) fee for each ride, and led me to travel with another party––have shown me that living in solitude for the sake of simplicity is not the only means of living deliberately. The social connections established through Uber are a distinct way of “[learning] to reawaken and keep ourselves awake” (64). I will elaborate using a particularly memorable anecdote.
April 19, 2023, at 10:23 PM. Arrival at 10:38 PM. Journey with Ihab. Toyota Corolla Hybrid. The distance is 5.47 miles; the fare is 17 dollars and 65 cents. Immediately noticing a European accent, I asked Ihab about his background which quickly established a mutual connection. Ihab came to the United States four years ago from Turkey, and he was part of the Sivasspor Under-19 squad during his adolescent years. As someone who also shared experiences of moving to a new country to try out a new endeavor, Ihab and I found various commonalities in our differences. We were unafraid to be vulnerable when talking about our struggles adapting to a foreign community. The contents of our conversation expanded beyond mere superficiality. Rather than “[parting] at the first interesting crisis in [our] adventures,” we embraced conflicts and felt comfortable challenging each other on the decisions we have made in the past and the perceptions we have developed thus far (52). Solitary dwelling alone cannot give you such nuance in your thoughts and experiences.
Before approaching the task of “[making] his life, even in its details, worthy of the contemplation of his most elevated and critical hour,” one should carefully consider what type of endeavors are considered “meaningful” in life (65). Does living economically suffice in satisfying a man’s primary duty to make every point of life meaningful? Does living independently guarantee that an individual will do greater things in life than someone invested in a social setting? You can certainly “direct your eye right inward” and become an “expert in home-cosmography” with a fellow traveler (215). Introspection itself is valuable but temporary to a great extent. The opportunity to listen and grow with another human invites you into multiple lives and prevents you from insensibly “[falling] into a particular route and [making] a beaten track for [yourself]” (217).
Advancements in social networking services have made it challenging to “explore the private sea, the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean of one’s being alone” (216). In this framework, I agree with Thoreau that strictly “virtual” travelers in a social environment (such as internet bots, public figures that promote unrealistic standards, news outlets that deliberately spread misinformation, etc.) will only slow you down and distract you from “[advancing] confidently in the direction of [your] dreams” (217). In this regard, embrace the in-person element of life. Don’t mindlessly scroll through your social media feed during a car ride. Put away your AirPods for just 15 minutes and disconnect from the artificially-created versions of our world. Go on a journey with the person next to you and use the “Realometer” to critically analyze your perceptions of yourself and your fellow traveler.
Don’t know where to begin? I recommend you start with Uber.
Works Cited
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden, Civil Disobedience and Other Writings: Authoritative
Texts, Journal, Reviews and Posthumous Assessments, Criticism. Edited by William Rossi, 3rd ed., London, W.W. Norton and Company, 2009.
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