“Wherever you may seek solitude, men will ferret you out and compel you to belong to their desperate company of oddfellows.”

A great anti social statement. As long as David and we are just as desperate and odd as the next guy. It is great to be in the woods alone but let's not forget that others may in the woods alone also.

Um Waffler? What the hell are you going on about now?
Thoreau is pointing to the fact that (most) people need to have "sameness" in order to feel normal. But for some of us individuality is foremost and the right to be an individual should be absolute. It's a matter of choices...not force.

Waffler, there you go with that gibberish again.

Love it! And therein lies the difference between an individual and the collective. Collectivists identify themselves with whatever group to which they belong. The individual identifies himself by his own principles, labors, and uncompelled choices. Collectivists do not respect individuals and do act from 'might makes right' thus they are always trying to compel others to 'belong' and ultimately 'obey.' The individual recognizes his/her responsibility to provide for him/herself and family while the collectivist counts on the safety of the group and the 'sacrifice' of a few that are at the fringe. It is the difference between eagles and sheep.

There are lots of guys in the woods alone. If you would see with the eye of God you would know that there is one over their 5 miles away and there a mile and their just a couple thousand feet etc. It has been said that one can be lonely or alone in a crowd. Being a self possessed individual is a state of mind.

No man is an island unto himself. It is fascinating that. Archer recognizes the collectivist concept of family. I wonder if family includes cousins several times removes. I am sure he cannot grasp the idea of human family.

And here Waffler does his best to "wax philosophical". Waffler...where does "in the woods" come into play? Do I not have a right as an urban homeowner to expect that my family and I can live unmolested by the great collective sheep herd?
Other than societal norms that naturally form among groups of people under a system of Justice...why should I be coerced into any level of compliance that fails to recognize individual rights and sovereignty as enshrined by the Constitution of the United States?

Individualism is not about living alone in the woods. It is about calling the shots in one's life and bearing the fruits and/or consequences. It is about free choice, not compulsion from the group. It is about the free expression of love and charity, not obedience and taxation by decree from the group leaders. It is about the natural evolution of civilization, not social engineering. It is about choosing what to read, listen to or watch, not broadcasted propaganda. It is about figuring life out for oneself, not being told by church and state how we are born into servitude to them. Group consciousness is contrived, while individual consciousness is ever awakening. Those of us who have managed to find solace away from the blaring crowd and their conditioned responses have a chance to see the world more clearly without the restrictions of 'politically correct' double-think imposed by the collective. Yes, being in the Borg may have its advantages, but it is at the expense of the soul.

Welcome to Amerika where the malignant malefactors ferret each individual out and compel him to belong to their desperate company of odd fellows; by way of example: a desperate system of anti-natural law contrary to the Constitution, compelled compliance, license, victimless crimes, non-recognition of individual inalienable rights, larceny with impunity (income, property, health, etc. taxes), no property ownership, etc.

Is Mr Thoreau speaking of the creeps?