You may not think you have too much in common with Henry David Thoreau — an American naturalist, author and philosopher from the 1800s. Thoreau is best known for his book "Walden," a reflection upon his two years living in the woods around Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Suddenly, his experience as the original “social-distancer” seems quite relevant.
The famous New Englander had a poignant appreciation for nature — something many of us rediscovered this year as the world closed in and people went outside to smell the flowers and to admire the wildlife that reclaimed parts of our towns and cities as human traffic decreased.
Author David Gessner is inspired by Thoreau. On Under The Rader, he discusses his latest book, “ Quiet Desperation, Savage Delight: Sheltering with Thoreau in the Age of Crisis,” and how he finds insight about living through a pandemic from the man who self-isolated in a hut in the woods.
Gessner is the author of 12 books and a professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
