Thoreau’s “A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers”: In a restless era, what wakes people up isn’t an alarm clock, but silence.
In August 1839, two American brothers embarked on a two-week drift along the Concord River.
They quietly traversed through nature, relishing the tranquility seldom found in urban life.
Upon disembarking, the brothers eagerly planned to embark on another journey in a few years.
But who could have anticipated that, merely three years later, the elder brother would suddenly pass away?
The younger brother was overwhelmed with grief. He initially secluded himself at home for three whole months, then retreated to the desolate Walden Pond.
In the days of solitude, his inner restlessness and sorrow gradually subsided.
This younger brother was none other than Thoreau, the author of “Walden.”
During his solitary sojourn at Walden Pond, he also wrote another collection of essays — “A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers.”
He condensed his two-week journey into one week in the book, delicately depicting the natural surroundings and his thoughts.
The shimmering surface of the river, the silent nights — Thoreau contemplated, reminisced and recentered himself in the tranquility.
Many readers, upon finishing the book, couldn’t help but marvel: in this era of constant noise, true luxury lies in tranquility.
Detaching oneself from the hustle and bustle allows for present awareness; distancing from the crowd enables one to encounter the most authentic self.
As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Do not be afraid of isolation. In silence, you can change the world.”
In a restless era, what truly wakes people up isn’t an alarm clock, but rather this profound and enriching tranquility.
1
In the noisy world, everyone is restless.
Before writing this book, Thoreau also experienced a period of extreme pain.
He was born by the banks of the Concord River, and entered Harvard College at the age of 16, dreaming of becoming a professional writer in the future.
At that time, American society was dominated by materialism, and everyone was bustling about on the road to riches.
To make money, Thoreau and his brother opened a private school and later operated a pencil factory with his father.
He was busy socializing every day, either attending parties or visiting clients, with no time for quiet solitude.
Surrounded by crowds, surrounded by annoying noise, Thoreau became exhausted and irritable.
When the parents of students found fault, he resigned from the school; when he disagreed with his father’s views, he left the pencil factory.
Later, working in society, Thoreau, restless and impulsive, faced setbacks everywhere.
When he was an editor, he quarreled with the chief editor and was harshly criticized; when he was an inspector, he was dismissed for conflicts with his superiors;
When he was in business, unable to tolerate government actions, he was reported and arrested.
Although he was released on bail the next day, Thoreau, like a deflated ball, could no longer muster any spirit.
He was engulfed in endless pain by the tremendous noise from the outside world, and completely lost his passion for life.
Seeing his increasingly depressed state, his brother John came up with the idea to take him for a stroll by the river.
They made a raft themselves, took simple tools, and floated downstream along the Concord River.
This journey of silence allowed Thoreau to release years of repression and find solace in tranquility.
In his book, he said, “Our journey on still waters, drifting from the past to the future, is as silent as waking in the morning or contemplating in the deep of night.”
The difficulties Thoreau faced were a reflection of our own lives.
Every day, waking up to dozens of messages, busy with children, household chores, and work.
One moment a client calls, the next the child demands to play, and then friends drag you out for drinks.
After finally socializing, when the night is quiet, the voices in your head chatter like nagging women.
Is the work finished? What does the boss mean? Are my colleagues gossiping about me?
Unfinished tasks pile up endlessly, incessant noisy voices make one restless, everything seems unsatisfactory, and every sound feels harsh.
In fact, who doesn’t want tranquility? Who doesn’t want a moment to breathe?
Blame it on the noisy world, leaving no escape, where everyone can only be repeatedly battered by noise.
In the end, everyone becomes grotesque, like an enraged beast, yet unable to escape the cage of life.
2
The highest state of life is rich tranquility.
In his book, Thoreau meticulously described his observations on the river.
In the clear water, reeds and rushes grew wildly, and salmon and sunfish swam back and forth.
On the surface of the river, countless seagulls soared, wild ducks flapped their wings and flew chaotically, and ladybugs scurried around.
Water lilies were half-asleep, willow branches softly hung down, and clusters of ripe cranberries hung in the bushes.
On the banks of the river, sailors waved goodbye to their wives and children as they hurriedly set sail, and farmers selling cattle and horses shouted in loud voices.
Playful children accidentally knocked over an old lady’s vegetable basket and ran away laughing amidst her scolding…
The most impressive person to Thoreau was an elderly fisherman.
This old man wore dirty clothes, smoked a non-smoking pipe, and sat alone by the river holding his fishing rod like a sculpture.
Thoreau rowed over to strike up a conversation, but the old man glared at him angrily, fearing that Thoreau would scare away the small fish.
Thoreau didn’t mind, smiled knowingly, and rowed away with his brother.
Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye, and it seemed like the sun was about to set again.
And when night fell, the two brothers would set up camp on the shore.
They lit a bonfire for warmth, drank hot cocoa boiled with lake water when thirsty, and ate some black bread and sugar when hungry.
Late at night, they set up their tent, laid buffalo hide on the ground, and covered themselves with thick blankets to ward off the cold.
Before sleeping, the brothers would always chat for a while, and then Thoreau would reflect on his thoughts along the way.
When passing through ancient battlefields, he marveled at how the long history would eventually transcend time and reach eternity;
Seeing the broken tombstones, he understood that people would eventually die and should not live as slaves to desires.
When thinking about work, he realized that wise people wouldn’t busy themselves aimlessly, but would wholeheartedly devote themselves to what they love;
When thinking about life, he also realized that although one can be trapped, the heart can remain infinitely free.
This journey of still waters deeply touched Thoreau and restored his confidence and courage in life.
And all of this happened so quietly.
Philosopher Zhou Guoping said:
The highest state of life is rich tranquility. Being quiet is not a waste of time due to boredom.
It is a kind of courage to abandon the noise, a wisdom to subdue restlessness, and an attempt to explore the inner self.
Even without Thoreau’s Concord River, when we are in a bad mood, we can take a walk within three kilometers of our home;
Even in moments of loneliness, even without the company and comfort of elder brothers or friends, we can engage in activities we enjoy alone.
By being calm, sharp insight allows us to experience more interesting and beautiful aspects of ordinary life.
The world is nothing but a projection of the inner self. If your mind is filled with chaos, then life will have no place for purity.
Only by extinguishing the restlessness within our hearts can our world return to tranquility and become rich and orderly.
3
In this restless era, learn to reduce the noise for yourself.
Have you ever had this experience?
You wanted to be alone in silence but didn’t know what to do, so you ended up going out with friends to drink and gossip;
Feeling bored with life, but unable to muster any enthusiasm, you resort to playing with your phone, gaming, or online shopping;
Even when resting, you’re still thinking about work the next day, and even if you fall asleep, you find yourself having one tired dream after another.
It’s not that we don’t want peace, it’s just that the inertia of life is so strong that it easily throws us into agitation.
Thoreau achieved self-healing through “A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers,” and we also need an “outing” to heal our body and mind.
In this restless era, people need to learn to reduce the noise for themselves.
I have summarized a few methods from books to help me calm down, and hoping it can help you too.
1. Reading is a shortcut to escape the hustle and bustle.
In books, there’s a detail that deeply touched me.
In his daily routine, Thoreau always found time to read, whether it was classic literature or newspapers he picked up while camping.
He would use the words he read to stimulate rich associations, creating one illusion after another in his mind, and making the journey more interesting.
Reading was his consistent habit.
When he lived in the city before, he often hid in his study to escape from unpleasant people and things. Books are a refuge in life, a shortcut away from noise.
Opening a book is like opening a door to a secluded paradise.
Inside, you can experience a thousand lives, visit countless landscapes, converse with wise men, or find companionship.
When reading, focusing attention on specific words can instantly lead one to a state of forgetfulness of oneself and the world.
When feeling troubled, just read a book, shut out all disturbances, and you will naturally calm down quickly.
2. Hobbies can create a private garden away from the world.
Thoreau loved outdoor activities since childhood, hiking, camping, and exploring were all his hobbies.
Just like the journey on the river in the book, the intimate experience with nature was what Thoreau enjoyed the most.
And these things, like bricks, built a secluded garden in his heart. Feeling bad, frustrated, or being questioned and denied, don’t be afraid.
With hobbies, there’s a way out, and you can maneuver freely in any kind of life.
As Haruki Murakami said: “In one’s favorite time, in one’s favorite way, doing what one likes, that is the definition of a free person.”
When feeling uneasy, we can listen to music with headphones, paint in a studio, take a walk in the countryside, or just stay at home drinking tea, writing, or exercising…
Pleasing yourself and relax in this pleasure.
It’s only when you unload all the exhaustion in the tranquility that time seems to stand still that you can boldly be yourself again.
3.Traveling heals the soul in the oxygen bar of nature.
There’s a wonderful description of the night scenery in the book.
At night, there’s almost no perceptible human activity, no sound of human breathing, only the breath of the wind.
Sitting in the tent, you can occasionally hear the fox stepping on dry leaves, and the sound of dew wetting the grass…
In your dreams, there are also sparrows or owls singing nocturnes for us…
The “click” of twigs, the “rustle” of leaves, every sound breaks the silence of the night, and what follows is a deeper and more substantial silence.
One can’t help but marvel at the wonders of nature. Just a wild camping spot can provide such a rich sensory experience.
In fact, for us polluted by the turbidity of life, we can also go outdoors and dispel the haze in our hearts with the power of nature.
Just like the current spring, everything is full of vitality.
You can take leisurely walks, and unload the burden in your heart while enjoying the scenery; or you can go further away on weekends and holidays, letting your body and mind stretch freely.
When we focus our awareness on every blade of grass and every tree, immersing ourselves in nature, the surrounding disturbances will dissipate instantly.
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In 1851, Thoreau described “A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers” in a diary entry as a “roofless book.”
This book, is like an observatory, when you look up, you see the vast starry sky, and when you immerse yourself in it, all is silent.
After reading it, one can’t help but exclaim: life can be so beautiful, so delightful.
It turns out that without worldly success, as long as the heart is tranquil, one can live freely and joyfully.
Yishu once wrote in a book: “In all things, one should be calm, calmly coming, calmly going, calmly striving, calmly harvesting, avoiding noise.”
When most people are struggling with noise, whoever quiets down first can break free from suffering first.
External noise can only awaken the body, and the awakening of the soul depends on profound calmness.
It’s not difficult to reach tranquility. You can go on a spur-of-the-moment trip, put down your phone to read a book, or do nothing, see no one, and just be alone for a while.
The world may seem tumultuous, but as long as you calm down, you will not be disturbed by anything.
Give it a thumbs up, may we all have the courage to be alone, to exit the world of others, to move towards inner peace, and to harvest a more exciting life experience.
