Into the Wild
“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 conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging 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.”
“You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us. It is in everything and anything we might experience. We just have to have the courage to turn against our habitual lifestyle and engage in unconventional living.”
“Mountains make poor receptacles for dreams.”
In the spirit of London, Muir, and Thoreau, in 1992 an idealistic college graduate, Chris McCandless, left behind his home, family, belongings, and money—society as he knew it—to “wallow in the raw, unfiltered experiences” of the Alaskan wilderness. At first his odyssey seems inspiring and righteous. But then he dies, a mere four months after he left home. Krakauer (author of Into Thin Air about an Everest expedition gone horribly wrong) describes McCandless’ story and lets us decide: was McCandless a philosopher rejecting the ills of materialistic society to live a more meaningful life, becoming a martyr in the process? Or merely an inconsiderate and ill-prepared young man, the tragic victim in a cautionary tale against stubborn independence and idealism to the point of delusion?