"If the bell rings, why should we run?"

In the essay "Why I Went to the Woods" by Henry David Thoreau, this line, along with the context around it really stood out to me. This quote and paragraph discuss the reasons for why we should live more simply and with less stress.

Today, too many people are stressed and depressed over work, relationships, and drama. We let everything get under our skin and bother us, even if it wont affect our lives directly. In Thoreau's mind, we need to care less about things in our lives, and not let everything that enters our lives effect us. This does not mean to disregard everything and loose passion in the important things in our lives, rather focus on what really matters, and brush the small things aside. If one tries this, even in small amounts, they will more freedom, contentment, and a more enjoyable experience. Focusing and cherishing your own life is the first step to happiness and ease.

"If the engine whistles, let it whistle till it is hoarse for its pains. If the bell rings, why should we run?" Thoreau want us to live lives by our own pace and tune. There is no need to create unwanted stress and anxiety in our lives by living in the shadows of others. "Let us spend one day as deliberately as Nature, and not be thrown off the track by every nutshell and mosquito's wing that falls onto the rails." Live your own life, and don't let the problems and interests of other's lives intrude on your own.