On Walden Pwned

In 1854 Henry David Thoreau published On Walden Pond, a reflection on living deliberatively.  His experiment sought to reveal the essentials of life, and his meditation on this exercise is one of the most provacative books in American history.  It is also one of the only modern treatises on modern industrial worklife, as explored in this phenomenal article, Thoreau's Alternative Economics, by Professor Brian Walker.

Thoreau's voice is perhaps even more relevant today in the face of stagnant wages and a world accelerated by technology, where the trappings and complexities of modern work and home life present increasing challenge to American Society and human happiness.  Thoreau wrote before the automobile, fax machines, smart phones, television, and the internet.  Yet much of what he says about man becoming the tools of his tools can be fruitfully applied to these discussions.

Thoreau never intended his time on Walden Pond as a permanant solution, nor did he believe everyone needed to move to a cabin:  his two years were intended to serve as an experiment in pealing away the needs of life to its essence.  Instead, he hoped to provide a model by which we could seperate wants and needs, and question the role of seemingly ingrained practices and habits in order to live a life of intention.

This blog examines the modern world through the lens of Thoreau's experiment, and seeks to realize his goal of the intentional life.  I use Pwned, a gaming term that is a corruption of the word "owned:" To pwn someone or something is to dominate it.   Walden Pond is an idea more than it is a physical place:  Walden Pwned pays homage to Thoreau's experiment, and refers to one's ability to live an intentional life while navigating the challenges of modern technology and society.  On Walden Pwned is a collection of my writings and reflections on what it means to live the good life.