Walden by Henry David ThoreauWalden, by Henry David Thoreau is written in the first person about the events and ideas that occurred to the author during his stay at Walden Pond in the years 1800. Henry David Thoreau was a poet and philosopher who lived a simple life in order to establish a direct connection between people, God, and nature. He viewed knowledge as “an intuitive force rather than a body of logical and scholarly proof.” His writings in Walden focused on many different themes, including the relationship between light and darkness, ideas and the importance of nature, the meaning of progress, the importance of detail, and the relationship between mind and body. He also developed many philosophical ideas regarding self-knowledge, simple and deliberate living, and the search for truth. In the first section of Walden titled “Economics,” Thoreau expands on his ideas about living simply and deliberately. He believed that "it is better to want less" and that "there is no point in living if it is not deliberate." By living deliberately, he meant paying attention to every aspect of life, whether observing humans or nature, and living "in all moments of life." He believed that humans had only four basic needs: food, shelter, clothing, and fuel. The purpose of each of these necessities is to “conserve an individual’s energy.” He also believed that “gluttony is bad” and that we should therefore “be content only with the goods we need.” Thoreau focused on living deliberately and said that “the goal is to settle down and feel reality in its fullness.” Most of Walden's subsequent sections focused on the relationship between mind and body. In the “Loneliness” section, he explains that “sensations exist in our minds even as our bodies feel them.” Thoreau believed that physical proximity does not translate into mental proximity, or vice versa. He states that “it is not physical possession of physical acts that causes one to take possession of a place, but rather mental acts.” he believed that we are our spirit and our body is not as important. In the "High Laws" section, he stated that "to live truly is to be truly aware of all that we can do, and then to use all parts of ourselves »..