Into the Wild

"There was another irony he failed to appreciate: His struggle to mold me in his image had been successful after all. The old walrus in fact managed to instill in me a great and burning ambition; it had simply found expression in an unintended pursuit."

Jon Krakauer - Into the Wild

Beautifully put and ringing true. A line I paused on for quite some time.

No I haven't seen the movie. Typically I don't. I read more than I watch - it's not a new age yuppie statement it just 'is what it is'. I have almost finished the book and Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer truly is an inspirational and fascinating read.

I am more of a fiction lover myself. I find nothing to be more enjoyable than the experience of running away with a character and a story written by a talented author. Quite often I find non-fiction to be missing one of these key components. In my opinion non-fiction works are quite often a beautiful or heart-wrenching story lacking the artful pen that brings them to life so to speak.

Jon Krakauer proves to be a wonderful exception to this personal belief. He is a powerful author who has not only done justice to the individual and subsequent story he has captured in print, but has become the potential voice for an entire generation. The true story of Chris McCandless (pictured above), the 24 year old American who died on an Alaskan wilderness break from civilization, is the story of a disturbed yet idealistically charged individual set upon a course that no friend, family member, or foe could break.

Some believe (most actually) that Chris McCandless was a desolate and stubborn individual set on his own demise. Others think McCandless was a tragic young man simply lost in his own thoughts. While both of these beliefs may have an aspect of reality to them, it was McCandless' undeniable passion that created an air of infatuation around his tale. He was highly educated and very well read (the book is littered with quotes from famous literary texts found scrawled into the sides of the bus where his remains were found).

Chris McCandless was, while young and naiive, an inspiration. He was a passionate young man representative of a generation unafraid to believe in something. No longer numbed by the sparkly promise of material consumption, power, and wealth. I believe there will be more like McCandless to come. Maybe not those who march into the middle of Alaska ill-equipped for the harsh realities of mother nature - but those equally ready to reject all that has become our modern day and age - or more appropriately dubbed - 'normal' living.