@ Ryan

"In case you hadn't realized, it has somehow become uncool to like sound like you know what you're talking about...."

Then you must be the coolest guy in the room.

@Ryan S

So you are saying that, if the hypothetical mechanic Rumson mentioned found "an awe and reverence for life and nature" like Thoreau did, he wouldn't need a wrench to untighten a rusty bolt?

Thoreau lived "in the woods" very close to his family's house. He visited them for dinner and received regular care packages from his mother. Good writer? Yes. Self-sufficient woodsman? No.

Incidently, this morning I gave a dollar to a real minimalist sleeping under some newspapers on a park bench.