Henry David Thoreau's Essay - Civil Disobedience

In Henry David Thoreau's Essay, " Civil Disobedience",has inspired many activist and protesters since it was originally written in 1849, to almost ridicule the governments standing on the Mexican American War.Thoreau claims, " That government is best when governs least" The seemingly never ending essay is all about how, the government is seemingly doing things very based off what can benefit the number not the people. Working like a machine, beating to the sound of the one drum without realizing the effects it has on everyone else. In turn, how society waits for everyone else to know how to fix the government. They never realize how corrupt the system is in our day in age. I completely agree with every comment Thoreau says about the subject.

"Others- as most legislators, politicians, lawyers, ministers , and office-holders-serve the state chiefly with their heads; and, as the rarely make moral distinctions, they are as likely to serve the devil, without intending it, as God." This line stood out to my throughout reading. Saying the most powerful men in country are more like demons in disguise than helpful men in suits. I believe he also use this metaphor to capture the minds of a society that like to think in black and white, which ironically is what he's trying to show them not to do.

When a flower bed becomes boundless, its hard to look at the little anthers holding all the pollen inside itself, rather you look at the large amount of colors and smells that the flowers possess. I like the think that's how the government is thinking, except maybe they forget the pollen can come up and tickle you till you sneeze away. A man that doesn't pay taxes because his whole family is on their deathbed, is sitting next to the guy that murdered his whole family. However, in such a big over controlled system it is glanced over hardly and thrown in together in a big pot of sentencing and fines. It is dehumanizing the rules we have to legally go by, without making a second glance at the small details of a painting, just the border.

Today we now have started to step up to our government and standing up for what we believe in. For instance the 99 percent movement, in 2011. Where protesters from everywhere, protesting against the inequality of taxes for the wealthiest of men. Throughout his essay I felt a sense of panic, he had for humanity, a panic he had that the future would end up one big factory with a fat bald guy eating gold covered chocolate. But it is for things like, Civil Disobedience That helps the future progress. The good and the bad.