Quotation!

[tiamatschild]

At present, in this vicinity, the best part of the land is not private property; the landscape is not owned, and the walker enjoys comparative freedom. But possibly the day will come when it will be partitioned off into so-called pleasure-grounds, in which a few will take a narrow and exclusive pleasure only, - when fences shall be multiplied, and

Comments

[rosamundeb]

I'm reading this, thinking "good point, good point", and then I read the author - Thoreau - and my jaw drops.

Thank god... well, actually, thank some prescient people! for the park system.

[tiamatschild]

:D He's surprisingly modern, isn't he? Feels even more so considering what I'm supposed to be reading.

*nodnod!* Though I still worry - more and more in my town you run the risk of getting in trouble if you go to parks to play and there are children there. Everyone seems to think the only reason to go is if you have kids or want to hurt them. I hate it.

[redstarrobot]

The Park System is, like, Yellowstone and the Freedom Trail and the Grand Canyon and stuff. Places where they have Park Rangers. I promise, no one will look at you funny if you go without kids. :)

[tiamatschild]

Well, I know.

I'm just. *waves hand* In a mood today. I say silly things when I'm like this.

I do live right next to a county nature preserve. I can walk there, and I probably should more often. :)

[starswan]

I love Thoreau.

Reading that is spooky.
Especially if you live in a place where all of the rural areas/riparian areas/etc are slowly but surely being eyed/bought/and swallowed by developers. o_o
And the kicker....it is only after gnawing away at the unspoiled bits around here and building Mcmansions and posh apartments where there was once a colony of burrowing owls that our fair town receives the dubious distinction of being labeled "an American dream town". ICK.
More like a nightmare...

Oh but here's another fresh irony....the university tore down a nice old dormitory offcampus and raised it from the dead as a pastel multi-colored stucco palace complete with enclosed fountain-ed courtyard and they dubbed it "Thoreau Hall" XD >:O
WTH?

[tiamatschild]

Eeeeeew. Dude. Um, way to completely miss Thoreau's whole philosophy about public space!