I admire Chris McCandless. Although I do not love nature, I appreciate the spirit with which he left home and embarked on an odyssey of over two years, living from the land, hitchhiking, and testing his endurance. That is what this book is about. It is not about a person who adored nature and lived among the trees and animals, along the roads of the West. It is, rather, about a person who believed that life should be more than the monotonous, conservative, materialistic lifestyle of mainstream culture.
He believed that meaning comes from changing your horizons and new experiences. That spirit resonates with me.
He certainly should have been more prepared for his journey. Although he kept books on plants, he lacked the necessary knowledge to ensure his survival. Maybe he underestimated his surroundings. And he definitely treated his family wrongly, leaving without telling them and without keeping any contact with them whatsoever. But to survive as long as he did and to put his principles into action, for that we should all be so fortunate. We can learn from Chris.
1 comment:
Well put! There is certainly much to admire in Chis while we can admit his shortcomings.
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