"Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!"

Thoreau's Walden offers thought-provoking, if rather drastic musings upon living a worthwhile life.   I am apt to say that I preferred Thoreau's writing style and Emerson's philosophy.  In any case, I found many moments within the reading with which to agree, disagree, and ponder.  Overall I found Thoreau's writing critical of his fellow citizens' ways of life, exalting his own choices, despite his statement that, " I desire that there be as many different persons in the world as possible, but I would have each one be very careful to find out and pursue his own way"(64).   However, disregarding my disdain for his egotistical tone, I found that his claims could be generally organized into several areas: what is necessary to a good life, what sort of knowledge men should seek and how, and what is "bad" about society. I wish to focus upon his conception of a "good life,"  as I found his remarks to hold value, and also some question for me personally. 
      In regards to the "good life,"  Thoreau claims that, "Men labor under a mistake.  The better part of man is soon plowed into the soil for compost...Actually, the laboring man has not leisure for a true integrity day by day;...He has no time to be anything but a machine"(6).  I found his views on work to be particularly interesting.  In Thoreau's estimate, work should be a means of survival, and not more.   One should live as simply as possible in order to maximize time and effort to be put into "realities only...respect[ing] only what is inevitable and has a right to be"(86).  I appreciate the concept of simplicity, insofar as it allows one to focus efforts upon people, relationships, and improvement of self and the world.  However, I think that Thoreau oversimplifies the concept of labor by insinuating that no one who works doing anything particularly worthwhile, even if they enjoy their work, unless they are a poet like him.   He also upholds the idea of "self"  as the most important, never stressing relations to mankind except to disdain most works of philanthropy as misjudged.   I find this to be a gross oversight on his part, as in my estimation, leisure time should not be spent off in a hut by yourself in the woods reading, but rather a combination of solitude and strengthening relationships.