3.13.2008

No Witness Protection
Thoreau's Journal: 12-Mar-1852

The gods can never afford to leave a man in the world who is privy to any of their secrets. They cannot have a spy here. They will at once send him packing. How can you walk on ground when you see through it?

12 comments:

Unknown said...

I like this post becasue it has a good meaning. A man cannot stay in the world if he is hiding from his screts. The gods do not want a spy. I'm not sure i understand what is mean by "walking on the ground when you see through it?"

Ivy Puckett said...

I agree with jessica, teh gods to not want a man who is trying to spy on secrets. They will send them away if they try to gain knowledge from the gods. I also don't undersatnd "How can you walk on the ground when you see through it" but I think it may mean if you know the secrets of the world then what are you in for? I'm not sure...

Peggy said...

I agree with Jessica and Ivy. If someone knows secret about you and you dont know, of course you are not going to want them to know what it is. I think the "seeing through the ground" has something to do with seeing through a lie. I'm not sure, though...

Kevin said...

I agree with Peggy, Jessica, and Ivy. The post has great meanings, and is so true in life. However i related the post to our government. If someone has a secret about them they do not want that person around. This is also the same with you if a person you know has a secret about you you do not want them near. When ever people have secrets on each other they can not stand to be with each other. This is out of fear of being scared of the other person revealing the truth. This is a problem in todays worl with many people. Overall i really liked this post, and thinks it has good meaning.

Unknown said...

This segment of Thoreau’s diary was a little bit confusing when I first read it. I am not positive about what is being said, but I think Thoreau is saying a man that is knowledgeable to harmful information; (privy to any of their secrets) does not need to be freely on the earth. I think that the last line means how can a "spy" be left in the earth when he can see through all of the many twists and turns.

matt mercer said...

To be honest I really was lost when I first this qoute then I read it again and I understood it and reaaly liked it. What i is saying that no man or woman can die without sharing or confessing their sins or secrets. And the "spies" in the world are the people who wouldn't realese their secrets. I think that Thoreau is sayin that once the Gods send you back to earth after you die you will roam here forever.

Barny said...

I agree with Matt Mercer on this one. I think he is talking about the secrets people hold inside and dont tell. Im not really sure about the last part, "How can you walk on ground when you cant see it?" I dont think that that its talking about God sending you back when you die to roam earth, but who knows, it could.

Laine said...

I completely agree with Matt Mercer. When I first read this quote, I did not think there was anyway possible to respond to it but after reading it several times I think I grasped the meaning of it. I know whenever I have a deep secret I have to tell at least one of my friends that I trust. We can't live in this world keeping everything inside of us.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Laine and Matt Mercer on this one. And honestly i was pretty lost when i first read this one as well. But i read it over and over a couple of times and kind of got a grasp of what is was saying that the "spies" are the secret keepers or in my case my best friends. I know that i couldn't live without sharing my secrets. "Walking on the ground when you see through it" i think means that certain people can see through your lies; you may not know it but they do.

Unknown said...

Everyone has secrets held within him or herself. God can see through anything. There is no point in hiding secrets in your internal mind within oneself.

Anonymous said...

When it says, "how can you walk on ground when you see through it." means how can you share secrets with someone if you cant trust them. I think this quote is trlling us that we need to tell someone our secrets that we can truly trust.

son rivers said...

OK, class, time for Henry to step in. "I am speaking to secrets much bigger than the little ones we deal in. These are the secrets of the universe, the meaning of life, the BIG PICTURE. And when you become privy to these secrets, one begins to see that the ground you thought was solid beneath your feet is actually 99.99% space. The question, though, who are the gods who send these wise folk packing???"