Oxford’s Word of the Year for 2024 was “brain rot”, a slang term for low-value internet content, and for the mental dulling that can come from consuming too much of it.
The man who coined the phrase “brain rot” wanted to escape from the relentless march of technology, the stresses and strains of modern life, and its corrosive effects on the soul. He was convinced that “Our inventions are pretty toys which distract our attention from serious things.”
He spent two years, two months and two days living alone in a tiny hut in the woods, living simply and self-provisioning by fishing and growing his own food. He “went to the woods to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, learn what it had to teach, and not discover, when I die, that I hadn’t lived.”
In retreat he explored non-Western philosophy, immersing himself in classic Hindu texts, and translating excerpts of a Buddhist sutra for a journal edited by his mentor, Ralph Waldo Emerson. “In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagvat-Geeta.”
But this wasn’t a young man experiencing burnout in the digital age, wanting to turn off his smartphone with its constant notifications and demands for attention.
Henry David Thoreau was a Harvard-educated naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher, who was once jailed for protesting against slavery and an unjust war. His 1849 essay, widely known as Civil Disobedience, argued that conscience can require peaceful refusal to cooperate with injustice.
By the 1850s, minority groups in the US – African Americans, Jews, Seventh Day Baptists, Catholics, anti-prohibitionists, racial egalitarians, and others – were already using public, typically non-violent civil disobedience to challenge injustice. They used peaceful resistance to push back against laws and public practices that promoted ethnic, religious, and racial discrimination.
Thoreau sought retreat at Walden Pond to live simply and reflect deeply on society. That period strengthened his belief in individual conscience and helped shape the argument he later set out in Civil Disobedience: that when laws are unjust, peaceful non-cooperation can be a moral duty.
Why we chose Henry
At Advonet, each of our meeting rooms is named after an inspirational figure who epitomises our values and inspires our work. Henry David Thoreau was chosen by Graham Shortt, CHANGE’s social enterprise manager. as the new name for our Quiet Room, to be portrayed in the Inspiring Change series of images created by the CHANGE illustrators.
YouTube recently recommended me The School of Life’s excellent brief introduction to Thoreau’s life and work. Although I’ve done a couple of degrees in Philosophy, I was barely more familiar with him than the average US schoolchild. My studies leaned towards how to think, rather than how to live, as Thoreau did. But aspects of his philosophy immediately appealed to me, and I was fascinated to learn about his remarkable life, ideas, and enduring influence.
“I nominated him because I felt that what Thoreau sought in his tiny, simple hut is exactly what people are looking for in our Quiet Room – space and time to reflect, respite from the constant demands that modern life and work places on us.
“As someone who loves the outdoors, reading Thoreau gave me a new perspective on what being out birdwatching or cycling gives me, the same connection to the essence of existence, the same opportunity to be in the moment, that Thoreau found at Walden Pond.
How Henry can inspire us
Henry David Thoreau is a household name in the United States but far less well-known in the UK. His ideas have influenced many figures and movements who are familiar here, from Gandhi and Martin Luther King to environmental movements, civil liberties groups and advocates of simple, intentional living. His best-known book, Walden, remains a remarkable invitation to step back from noise, reconnect with nature, and rediscover a sense of inner steadiness.
Thoreau is also an obvious choice for our Quiet Room because his writing speaks to the emotional and moral core of Advonet’s work. Thoreau believed that people flourish when they have time, space and courage to listen to themselves. He understood that reflection is a necessity for clarity, honesty, and doing the right thing in difficult circumstances.
Many staff in Advonet work in emotionally demanding roles, advocating for people in difficulty and distress, and helping them to stand up for their rights. Our advocates have to stay calm, listen properly, and support the person to pursue their rights in their way. Thoreau reminds us that we can only do that work well if we remain grounded, awake and connected to ourselves. A quiet room named after him acknowledges the need for rest, reflection and the courage to act with integrity, even when it is difficult.
For anyone wanting to explore further, Walden remains widely available in print, audiobook and online editions. It is still one of the most moving meditations on how to slow down, think clearly and rediscover what really matters. In a world filled with noise, notifications and demands, Thoreau’s invitation to ‘live deliberately’ feels more relevant than ever.
The Inspiring Change Portraits
This image of Henry is one of a collection of eight portraits created by CHANGE’s illustrator team to celebrate inspiring figures who champion change and whose actions embody Advonet’s values of kindness, inclusivity, accountability, diversity, and empowerment.
The portraits in this series use elements of the clear, friendly illustration style we use in our Easy Read documents. Here we explain the advantages of using illustrations for our clients and their audiences: Why CHANGE uses illustrations to create accessible Easy Read documents
Greetings cards featuring all eight images in a boxed set are available from our web shop.
How CHANGE can help you make information accessible
Discover our Bespoke Easy Read Services, Accessible Review process and our Training Sessions.
Access our free resources, including our guide on How to Make Information Accessible.
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Find out more about how we can help you connect more effectively with diverse audiences, call us, email change@advonet.org.uk, or fill out the form below.
