Into the Wild

I just finished the whole Into the Wild "series." Well to be honest, I only read about half the book. It got a little tedious with all the details of other travelers besides the one the book was about, Chris McCandless. But then, I rented the movie from Netflix (on my newly acquired free-trial) and watched it last night. It was so beautifully done. Of course it was a little Hollywood, but I enjoyed it so much. I think I cried during half of it. Not because it was sad to me, but because I felt so much respect and admiration for Chris and his life.

I would never go to the lengths he did to prove any point about living "in the wild," mostly because he had a lot of family issues to sort out and I don't. I do think  that a lot of his aspirations and sentiments about life carry a lot of resonance. People should learn from his "experiment' about how to treat others, and how, if in life you really want something, all you have to do is reach out and grab it. Also, instead of talking down to one another, trying to have control over people and be cruel to them so often, we should realize, like he said, that happiness doesn't come from human relationships, but it's all around us: everywhere.

It's been an enormous source of inspiration for me. Not only do I idolize many of the authors McCandless identifies with, but I have always been more free-thinking and have had a love for nature. I am endlessly fascinated with many of the revelations he had when in the wild. I love the stories of the people's lives he touched, and above all, I admire his determination to devote himself to a life of truth and honesty.

I sure hope that I am able to take with me some valuable lessons from Chris McCandless' life. He will live on to be an inspiration for many, I'm sure.

"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greather joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun." -Chris McCandless aka Alex Supertramp