Into The Wild was very strongly recommended to me by a close friend of mine a few months back. Ever since, I had been eager to watch it- and now I finally have.
I haven't been so inspired in a long time. I have so much awe and respect for everything he did, for the way he thought, for the life he gave himself. It takes extreme courage to do the things he did and to make the sacrifices he made. But after watching the movie and reading about him, they don't seem like sacrifices- he was just liberating himself. The less he had, the more free he was. The less he knew, the more there was to discover. The deeper into the wild he went, the closer he got to understanding people and their greedy ways. It's like the lyrics of Society; they're so beautiful in their meaning, because it's the plain, simple truth. We want more than we need. We're not free until we have it all. It's all too materialistic and monetary. We just hoard in on things, not on experiences and joys. Life is about putting yourself out in the world and living, not about buying things to try and improve your sedentary existence. It's not about bickering and fighting. It's not about pitting your ego against someone else's. It doesn't matter who wins an argument. Chris McCandless's (Alexander Supertramp's) story is a lot deeper than just the craze of living out in the wild and enjoying nature in the raw. It isn't merely about survival or tragedy. It's so much more than that. It's about the thirst for freedom. But not just any freedom. Freedom from the clutches of routine, from the cliche's of human behavior, from the ruins that people have created around themselves. This was his rebellion. His way of having a life.
Throughout his travels, he touched many hearts because of the pure and honest person he was. He wasn't pretentious. He didn't judge people by their things or situations. The kind of books he read, the things he learned along the way, seemed to have molded him into becoming who he was. Philosophical, analytic, practical. His perspective on life was so uniquely different- and it was the right one. Perhaps if everyone had the same outlook on life, we'd be a happier folk.
He struggled. He truly struggled to find his place in this world. Life wasn't a breeze for him once he left home. he certainly was a supertramp and he proved it to everyone. Going to Alaska was no joke, but it was his ultimate dream and he made sure he got there. After spending over 100 days there, the books he read lead him to the truth. He wanted to forgive his parents, the people around him. He realized he was running away when he shouldn't. He decided he'd had enough of this life. He had nothing more to prove. He packed up to leave, but when he did, the massive river was in turmoil making it impossible to cross over into civilization. Mapless, directionless and nearly foodless, he was forced to retreat back to his magic bus. There was no game for him to hunt, only the wild trees, plants, shrubs.
The movie claims he ate a poisonous potato plant- one that hampered with the digestive system and thus lead to starvation and ultimately death. This he realized when he read about it in his book on the local fauna. He knew death was inevitable. How painful it must have been. He was so close to going home, so close to happiness, so close to doing what he felt was right. And now here he was, crippled by his fate, laying weak and helpless in his magic bus and there was nothing he could do. He must have been so lonely, so utterly hopeless, so scared. He waited for death as he saw the life leave him day after day, moment after moment. He was miserable. He died with tears in his eyes and a smile on his face, staring up at the blue skies. There's a line he uses in the end that's very beautiful. It brought tears to my eyes. He says, "What if I were smiling and running into your arms? Would you see then what I see now?"
How could they?
It took a lot of courage to be Alexander Supertramp. Pain, agony, suffering, deceit, denial, trauma, indignation, sadness and yet through it all, a ringing peacefulness and an underlying happiness. I admire that man. His death was tragic and unfair. He was a man who deserved to live. But one thing's certain- he squeezed all he could out of the years he had and he had a good life. Throughout his travels, his insisted ignorance made things more exciting, more adventurous...but it got the better of him in the end and that breaks my heart.
People have been very rude and strong in their criticism of him and his exploits. But they're all too blind. None of them would have in them what it took to be Chris and none of them are broad-minded enough to realize the truth behind his actions. He was so angry with society and he couldn't take it anymore. I feel he was right in his retaliation and unless put in his shoes, one shouldn't make such blatant comments about the way he conducted his life.
Chris McCandless, rest in peace- you really deserve to.
I haven't been so inspired in a long time. I have so much awe and respect for everything he did, for the way he thought, for the life he gave himself. It takes extreme courage to do the things he did and to make the sacrifices he made. But after watching the movie and reading about him, they don't seem like sacrifices- he was just liberating himself. The less he had, the more free he was. The less he knew, the more there was to discover. The deeper into the wild he went, the closer he got to understanding people and their greedy ways. It's like the lyrics of Society; they're so beautiful in their meaning, because it's the plain, simple truth. We want more than we need. We're not free until we have it all. It's all too materialistic and monetary. We just hoard in on things, not on experiences and joys. Life is about putting yourself out in the world and living, not about buying things to try and improve your sedentary existence. It's not about bickering and fighting. It's not about pitting your ego against someone else's. It doesn't matter who wins an argument. Chris McCandless's (Alexander Supertramp's) story is a lot deeper than just the craze of living out in the wild and enjoying nature in the raw. It isn't merely about survival or tragedy. It's so much more than that. It's about the thirst for freedom. But not just any freedom. Freedom from the clutches of routine, from the cliche's of human behavior, from the ruins that people have created around themselves. This was his rebellion. His way of having a life.
Throughout his travels, he touched many hearts because of the pure and honest person he was. He wasn't pretentious. He didn't judge people by their things or situations. The kind of books he read, the things he learned along the way, seemed to have molded him into becoming who he was. Philosophical, analytic, practical. His perspective on life was so uniquely different- and it was the right one. Perhaps if everyone had the same outlook on life, we'd be a happier folk.
He struggled. He truly struggled to find his place in this world. Life wasn't a breeze for him once he left home. he certainly was a supertramp and he proved it to everyone. Going to Alaska was no joke, but it was his ultimate dream and he made sure he got there. After spending over 100 days there, the books he read lead him to the truth. He wanted to forgive his parents, the people around him. He realized he was running away when he shouldn't. He decided he'd had enough of this life. He had nothing more to prove. He packed up to leave, but when he did, the massive river was in turmoil making it impossible to cross over into civilization. Mapless, directionless and nearly foodless, he was forced to retreat back to his magic bus. There was no game for him to hunt, only the wild trees, plants, shrubs.
The movie claims he ate a poisonous potato plant- one that hampered with the digestive system and thus lead to starvation and ultimately death. This he realized when he read about it in his book on the local fauna. He knew death was inevitable. How painful it must have been. He was so close to going home, so close to happiness, so close to doing what he felt was right. And now here he was, crippled by his fate, laying weak and helpless in his magic bus and there was nothing he could do. He must have been so lonely, so utterly hopeless, so scared. He waited for death as he saw the life leave him day after day, moment after moment. He was miserable. He died with tears in his eyes and a smile on his face, staring up at the blue skies. There's a line he uses in the end that's very beautiful. It brought tears to my eyes. He says, "What if I were smiling and running into your arms? Would you see then what I see now?"
How could they?
It took a lot of courage to be Alexander Supertramp. Pain, agony, suffering, deceit, denial, trauma, indignation, sadness and yet through it all, a ringing peacefulness and an underlying happiness. I admire that man. His death was tragic and unfair. He was a man who deserved to live. But one thing's certain- he squeezed all he could out of the years he had and he had a good life. Throughout his travels, his insisted ignorance made things more exciting, more adventurous...but it got the better of him in the end and that breaks my heart.
People have been very rude and strong in their criticism of him and his exploits. But they're all too blind. None of them would have in them what it took to be Chris and none of them are broad-minded enough to realize the truth behind his actions. He was so angry with society and he couldn't take it anymore. I feel he was right in his retaliation and unless put in his shoes, one shouldn't make such blatant comments about the way he conducted his life.
Chris McCandless, rest in peace- you really deserve to.
No comments:
Post a Comment