{"id":118602,"date":"2023-11-29T16:46:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-29T20:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=118602"},"modified":"2023-12-08T17:06:35","modified_gmt":"2023-12-08T21:06:35","slug":"how-to-simplify-your-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Simplify Your Life: 3 Tips From Thoreau&#8217;s Walden"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Does your life feel cluttered and complicated? Do you sometimes feel like you should escape to a simpler time or place?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One reason <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-did-thoreau-go-to-the-woods\/\">why Henry David Thoreau went to the woods<\/a> was to live a simpler life. To accomplish this, he adopted a certain mindset and made specific choices. From his example, you can simplify your life by considering what you can do without, managing your resources wisely, and savoring what you have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep reading for three tips on how to simplify your life with insights from Thoreau.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-henry-david-thoreau-s-simplified-life\">Henry David Thoreau&#8217;s Simplified Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to learn how to simplify your life in 21st-century society, look for inspiration in a 19th-century life. Henry David Thoreau explains that the choices he made in moving to Walden were motivated in part by a desire to live more simply\u2014and he doesn\u2019t hesitate to say that he thinks his readers should simplify their lives, too. During the two years he lived in the woods, Thoreau chose a life of what he calls \u201cvoluntary poverty.\u201d He reduced what he produced and consumed to just what was necessary for survival: food, shelter, clothing, and fuel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/henry-david-thoreau-beliefs\/\">Thoreau believed<\/a> there is dignity in labor and in working to provide for oneself, he contended that people consume too much and work too much to pay for it. He explains that people can live on much less than they think possible. Then, with that change in perspective, they can stop overworking themselves to afford a large home, a vast family farm, fashionable clothes, or even an expensive education. Thoreau contends that the drive to acquire these and other material things results in unacceptable costs in terms of time: time that we give up for truly living in order to obtain possessions that aren\u2019t necessary and don\u2019t fulfill us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Simplify Your Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of us can\u2019t just leave town and move to the woods to live a simpler life. But, if you want to follow in Thoreau\u2019s footsteps in clearing room in your life for the things that are most meaningful to you, he offers a few principles that you can put into practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">#1: Consider What You Can Do Without<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Thoreau believed in the virtue of economy: rejecting materialism and practicing simplicity. Throughout the book, he warns against overworking yourself just to spend money and time on things you don\u2019t need. For instance, he chose to avoid eating animal products: In addition to saving money by foregoing purchases of butter, milk, or meat, he notes that abstaining from hunting and fishing also allowed him to avoid the cooking and cleaning that would go along with preparing meat or fish.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Thoreau was mindful of his diet, but he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thesalt\/2017\/07\/11\/535770269\/what-did-thoreau-really-eat-you-might-be-surprised\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">didn\u2019t stick to rigid rules<\/a>, according to historians. He saved money by foregoing meat, butter, coffee, and milk. But when he spent time with others, he ate what they ate. He also wanted to reduce the amount of meat he consumed for ethical reasons. This might call to mind the philosophies of some modern writers: Jonathan Safran Foer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/05\/21\/opinion\/coronavirus-meat-vegetarianism.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recommends<\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/us.macmillan.com\/books\/9780374712525\/wearetheweather\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>We Are the Weather<\/em><\/a><em> <\/em>that we reduce our meat consumption for the sake of the environment. And Michael Pollan advocates in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-omnivore-s-dilemma\/part-4-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The Omnivore\u2019s Dilemma<\/em><\/a> for <a href=\"https:\/\/michaelpollan.com\/resources\/animal-welfare\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">taking greater responsibility<\/a> for the moral transaction between us and the animals we eat. )<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">#2: Manage Your Resources Wisely<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Like all of us, Thoreau had to choose how to best put to use the supplies and money he had. For example, when he hosted large numbers of visitors at his cabin\u2014he entertained as many as 25 or 30 people at one time\u2014Thoreau didn\u2019t use up all his supplies to feed them all. Instead, he found other ways to make them feel welcome, such as entertaining them outside, without worrying about society\u2019s standards for hospitality.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">#3: Savor What You Have<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Thoreau believed that an important part of living a simpler life was experiencing gratitude for what you have and what you\u2019re able to do. For instance, he writes that when you sit down to eat a meal, feeling gratitude for your food and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-pay-attention\/\">paying attention<\/a> to what you\u2019re eating is much more important than what\u2019s on your plate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: In Thoreau\u2019s time, American society was <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/5870306\/sustainability-thoreau\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">undergoing a transition<\/a>. While people had traditionally grown their own food and made their own clothes, they were becoming more dependent on industry to employ them and to produce the things they needed. But rather than increase consumption, Thoreau wanted people to make use of what they had instead\u2014or obtain what they needed in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.versobooks.com\/blogs\/news\/4032-against-everything-thoreau-trailer-park\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">least costly and least harmful<\/a> way possible. That\u2019s why he foraged for food and salvaged materials to build his cabin. Thoreau has been characterized as an early proponent of sustainable living. Some experts believe that this practice was motivated by his distress over the ways in which modern economies were <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/a-flourishing-ecology-and-a-healthy-economy-henry-david-thoreau-thought-you-couldnt-have-one-without-the-other-183336\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bad for people and bad for nature<\/a>.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Does your life feel cluttered and complicated? Do you sometimes feel like you should escape to a simpler time or place? One reason why Henry David Thoreau went to the woods was to live a simpler life. To accomplish this, he adopted a certain mindset and made specific choices. From his example, you can simplify your life by considering what you can do without, managing your resources wisely, and savoring what you have. Keep reading for three tips on how to simplify your life with insights from Thoreau.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":118607,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,31],"tags":[1338],"class_list":["post-118602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-money","tag-walden","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Simplify Your Life: 3 Tips From Thoreau&#039;s Walden - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you want to learn how to simplify your life in 21st-century society, look for inspiration in a 19th-century life. Take a look.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Simplify Your Life: 3 Tips From Thoreau&#039;s Walden\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you want to learn how to simplify your life in 21st-century society, look for inspiration in a 19th-century life. Take a look.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-11-29T20:46:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-12-08T21:06:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/woman-gardening-e1702068321544.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1771\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"936\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\"},\"headline\":\"How to Simplify Your Life: 3 Tips From Thoreau&#8217;s Walden\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-11-29T20:46:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-08T21:06:35+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/\"},\"wordCount\":840,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/woman-gardening-e1702068321544.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Walden\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Lifestyle\",\"Money\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/\",\"name\":\"How to Simplify Your Life: 3 Tips From Thoreau's Walden - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/woman-gardening-e1702068321544.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-11-29T20:46:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-08T21:06:35+00:00\",\"description\":\"If you want to learn how to simplify your life in 21st-century society, look for inspiration in a 19th-century life. Take a look.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/woman-gardening-e1702068321544.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/woman-gardening-e1702068321544.jpg\",\"width\":1771,\"height\":936,\"caption\":\"A woman simplifying her life by watering plants.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to Simplify Your Life: 3 Tips From Thoreau&#8217;s Walden\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World&#039;s Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\",\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\"},\"description\":\"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.\",\"sameAs\":[\"rina@shortform.com\"],\"award\":[\"Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)\",\"Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)\",\"Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)\",\"Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)\"],\"knowsAbout\":[\"History\",\"Theology\",\"Government\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Senior SEO Writer\",\"worksFor\":\"Shortform\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Simplify Your Life: 3 Tips From Thoreau's Walden - Shortform Books","description":"If you want to learn how to simplify your life in 21st-century society, look for inspiration in a 19th-century life. Take a look.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Simplify Your Life: 3 Tips From Thoreau's Walden","og_description":"If you want to learn how to simplify your life in 21st-century society, look for inspiration in a 19th-century life. Take a look.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2023-11-29T20:46:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-12-08T21:06:35+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1771,"height":936,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/woman-gardening-e1702068321544.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Elizabeth Whitworth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Elizabeth Whitworth","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/"},"author":{"name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13"},"headline":"How to Simplify Your Life: 3 Tips From Thoreau&#8217;s Walden","datePublished":"2023-11-29T20:46:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-08T21:06:35+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/"},"wordCount":840,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/woman-gardening-e1702068321544.jpg","keywords":["Walden"],"articleSection":["Lifestyle","Money"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/","name":"How to Simplify Your Life: 3 Tips From Thoreau's Walden - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/woman-gardening-e1702068321544.jpg","datePublished":"2023-11-29T20:46:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-08T21:06:35+00:00","description":"If you want to learn how to simplify your life in 21st-century society, look for inspiration in a 19th-century life. Take a look.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/woman-gardening-e1702068321544.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/woman-gardening-e1702068321544.jpg","width":1771,"height":936,"caption":"A woman simplifying her life by watering plants."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-simplify-your-life\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Simplify Your Life: 3 Tips From Thoreau&#8217;s Walden"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World&#039;s Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13","name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Elizabeth Whitworth"},"description":"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.","sameAs":["rina@shortform.com"],"award":["Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)","Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)","Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)","Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)"],"knowsAbout":["History","Theology","Government"],"jobTitle":"Senior SEO Writer","worksFor":"Shortform","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/woman-gardening-e1702068321544.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118602"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118602\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":118733,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118602\/revisions\/118733"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}