Response to that Thoreau guy.

This conversation can go both ways. Not all the things that we have dictate what path you will take. It may be an influence towards something but not always will dominate it. Let's come up with an example. Take cell phones. I know people who have cell phones and it's pretty much their life. They do nothing else but use their cell phones. Now some people just use it for contact with someone for a brief moment.

Now think about what would happen if you took cell phones away. It would make some peoples lives miserable. Others would say whatever. What I'm trying to say is that everyone has a different view on life. I have one quote that comes to mind when I see something about living your life. It's "To live lightheartedly but not recklessly; to be gay without being boisterous; to be courageous without being bold; to show trust and cheerful resignation without fatalism -- this is the art of living" by Jean De La Fontaine. This is when I start going the other way.