In the opinions of civil disobedience by Henry David Thoreau, he discusses his ideals of self-governing and justifications for fighting for an important cause. Throughout the first part of this piece, Thoreau plays with the idea that there should be no government. He believes that the people can govern themselves, and due to their ethics and conscience, they will benefit the nation as opposed to having total chaos. He says that by being constricted and bound by the government people are not able to example their good behavior and intentions. “But, if I deny the authority of the State when it presents its tax-bill, it will soon take and waste all my property, and so harass me and my children without end. This is hard. This makes it impossible for a man to live honestly.”(Civil Disobedience, Thoreau). He believes that the government does not entrust enough responsibility into the hands of the people, and by doing so, it causes people to disobey the laws in order to convey a point or idea. He argues that authority is afraid of free-thinkers and they will imprison anyone who defies them in the slightest. “Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison.”(Civil Disobedience, Thoreau). Henry’s attitude of not bowing down to those who are only interested in their own well-being is inspiring. He believes that people should not step out of the way for the government or for higher authority when it comes to the unjust acts they commit. He states that you can only be successful in your cause if you do not back down. ” I perceive that, when an acorn and a chestnut fall side by side, the one does not remain inert to make way for the other, but both obey their own laws, and spring and grow and flourish as best they can, till one, perchance, overshadows and destroys the other.” (Civil Disobedience, Thoreau). Thoreau believes that the people willing to fight for an important cause are not the people whom a society should be concerned about.
Although Thoreau provides a good argument, I disagree with him in some aspects. In my opinion, he has too much faith in the human race. I believe that rules and regulations need to be in place and there needs to be consequences for not following these set rules. The main reason for the preservation of civility, as bleak as it has become, is that there are consequences for poor actions; not because people believe it is what