Henry David Thoreau

        I am an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist. But those fancy terms are all used to simply call me a man who believes in change, a man who hoped do many things  in life. In my novel Walden I began to hope that I could find the key to this change by living attuned to nature. Nature changes yearly, it does not hold on to the past with regret, but rather, keeps on going forward with the cycle of life with no remorse. Through my seclusion in the woods, I was able to realize this and suddenly understand social issues better than most. It made me realize that like the different flowers in the field, there was different types of bodies, skin tones, and personalities for each individual, and these differences did not make them any less human. I was  deeply interested in the idea of survival in the face of hostile elements, historical change, and natural decay; at the same time I also advocated abandoning waste and illusion in order to discover life's true essential needs. Changes in government do not start until change in the individual occurs first.

          The biggest issue America faces today is its inability to change and realize that there is many things that must be done, and that these changes cannot be stalled for very much longer. When we  ignore those who want a voice, we run the risk of being attacked through violent tactics. Changes that can be done in this American government are purely political, the changes of opinion and ways of thinking will take a lot more time to actually amount to anything. Human nature is a lot like animal nature, we want to live and thrive, and sometimes we do not take the opinions of others into considerations. Legislation cannot change human nature, it can only provide an environment where over time it can be changed and altered, occasionally for the worst, occasionally for the best. Society can only be changed by observation and the realization of our own personal truths, when this is done, then action can take place. A good society is one where we stand up and develop the right to make a change for not only ourselves but those who cannot defend themselves either.