Assisi and Thoreau

[billcu1]

I know St. Francis of assisi was good with animals but I have read that HD Thoreau was even better. I hope that’s spelled right. Animals were not afraid of him. Was Thoreau a philosopher too? I’m not familiar with him. Has anyone read his works or can compare him with St. Francis?

 

[Bartolome_Casas]

I have read all of Thoreau’s books, and have also read all the major biographies of him.

The stories of Thoreau having a special relationship with animals is pure mythology. It isn’t true. He never wrote about it. No one who knew him ever said he had any special relationship with animals.

Thoreau was quite antagonistic towards Christianity. He was very enthusiastic about Hinduism.

Thoreau did have a strong sense of justice, however. He was strongly against slavery at a time when being strongly anti-slavery wasn’t “cool” even in his state of Massachusetts. He also strongly opposed the U.S. invasion and forced annexation of the northern Mexican states, a position he shared with Congressman Abraham Lincoln, President John Quincy Adam, and Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant.

I would not recommend any interest in Thoreau. He was an odd person. He was a loner. He never married. Most everyone found him strange. Even his supposed best friend, writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, said in a eulogy at Thoreau’s funeral that he though Thoreau had not lived up to his potential, and had not really accomplished anything.

By contrast, studying the life of St. Francis is well worth it!

 

[billcu1]

By contrast, studying the life of St. Francis is well worth it!

Ok Assisi then. There the stories about him and animals true? I don’t know really anything about him either

 

[CountrySteve]

Ok Assisi then. There the stories about him and animals true? I don’t know really anything about him either

As far as i know, the stories about St. FRancis and the animals are true, there is a quite interesting one about him stopping a wolf, if you get the chance, you should defiantly read it.
God bless.

 

[Julia_Mae]

Ok Assisi then. There the stories about him and animals true? I don’t know really anything about him either

Some may be apocryphal, but many are true. Saint Francis had an affinity for what was gentle, innocent and defenseless. There is a rather well-known story of him preaching to birds when people wouldn’t listen. The interesting part of the story is the birds falling quiet and seeming to listen to him. BTW, if you have an interest in Saints and animals, you might want to Google Saint Rocco.

 

[Luigi_Daniele]

Well described in the book Fioretti of St Francis

 

[CompSciGuy]

I have read half of HDT’s “Walden.” I don’t know whether I would classify him as a philosopher or not. In some ways perhaps. But what I got out of Walden is that he believed that modernization actually de-civilizes man; it enslaves him and makes him subject to his own possessions, rather than vice versa. He emphasizes simplicity in living and believes that everything we need to know we can learn from mother nature (this is the essence of transcendentalism, which is). He believed that by living minimally one could attain freedom, and did so himself to set an example for others to follow. He is often referred to as “the first hippie.” However from what I read he didn’t have any kind of special relationship with animals, at least he didn’t write about it.