All any person needs to survive is food, shelter and clothing. After reading newspaper articles and watching television coverage, I believe Christopher Knight could pay for hs various crimes by writing a survival booklet that people of all ages could understand and enjoy. And, just maybe, I could save someone’s life.

These booklets could be printed at various technical centers in Maine so students would be responsible for editing, doing graphics, printing and distributing them to all students as young as 10 years. The booklet could be sold in bookstores, and the proceeds would be used to pay restitution for the items Knight took.

I bet Hollywood might find the subject interesting enough to produce a movie about this man. That would be another way he could earn money to pay back the owners.

Think of all the good that could come from Knight’s experience of living off the land, never physically hurting anyone, and just being a recluse, another Henry David Thoreau. High school students learned about him by reading his book, “Walden.”

Even the state saved money by not having Knight on the state’s dole, taking money from taxpayers.

With all the crazy stuff going on in our country and the world, and with all the media hype, violent video games and movies, just maybe to be alone in solitude to contemplate and enjoy nature at its best is what make a person more in tune with himself.

How lucky we are to live in a state where rural places abound and where many out-of-staters come to get away from their stressful environment.

Debbie Sherman

Winthrop