Into The Wild — longing for adventure?
SOCIETY, SOCIETY, SOCIETY! What lessons are there in this movie?
Broadly, you can categorize people into three different groups; those that fit into society, those that don't fit into society, and those that somewhat fit into society (but have a clear longing for something unexplainable that society doesn't offer). This masterpiece of a movie tells the story of a guy from the third group.
Besides being a cinematic masterpiece with a stunning music score, the movie portrays the depth of human longing and the adventure/rebellious gene better than any other. It is a personal movie to which everyone will have a different relationship, but it touches something inherently human that everyone will recognize. I've seen it five times now, and it is absolutely one of my favourite movies.
Note, THIS STORY WILL HAVE SPOILERS, so if you haven't experienced the movie yet, stop everything and take your time to watch the film. It is a piece of art, and these can be very rare in a lifetime.
The Movie by Sean Penn is based upon the real-world story of Christopher McCandless (or Alexander Supertramp), who, after his education, ventures out into the wild in search of something. His story rose to fame after Jon Krakauer in 1993 wrote an article and later a book about him — it was all made possible thanks to McCandless keeping a diary until his last breath.
“Mr Franz, I think careers are a 20th-century invention and I don’t want one.”
This is a quote from a discussion McCandless had with his teacher about his future. Life has moved so fast in the last century, and for some of the inventions and structures we have in place, we still don't understand the full effect—think social media, office jobs, careers. These are worthy pursuits seen with the eyes of today, but we don't truly understand how they will affect our lives in the long term. Sometimes going back to the basics or staying grounded is an even better choice. Make sure you can talk with older generations. Their meaning and experience can be valuable, so whenever you have a big decision to make — speak with your grandparents if you still have them.
“Some people feel like they don’t deserve love. They walk away quietly into empty spaces, trying to close the gaps of the past.”
This is an observation of life and people — we sometimes feel like we aren't worthy of something and a way to deal with this is either to hide away and let the emptiness protect us or to go into emptiness to prove our worth to ourselves. If they are hiding, the wounds are maybe too deep for themselves to heal, and in that case, they need guidance. If they are proving themselves, let them figure it out.
“You are really good. I mean, you’re like, a hundred thousand times better than like any apple I’ve ever had. I’m not Superman, I’m Supertramp and you’re super apple. You’re so tasty, you’re so organic, so natural. You are the apple of my eye, ha!”
The core of new experiences is that a simple thing like an apple can suddenly be the best thing you have ever tried. New experiences can not only change your perspective on life. It can not only make you understand life and yourself better. It can change you.
“The core of mans’ spirit comes from new experiences”
I took some issues with this quote, as raising your family and being a good parent is the ultimate test of your spirit. And therefore, I dived into the book to find this quote that expanded upon it: "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. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."
We can't hide from change, and we can't predict everything and nor should we. The only thing we can and should do is be prepared and adaptable for change coming in the future. But not only should we be prepared for change, we should cherish it, as new experiences strengthen the core of our spirit.
“I read somewhere… how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong, but to feel strong… to measure yourself at least once.”
We can't all be strong, ut we can all feel strong. Feel dangerous. Feel impactful.
Everything is subjective, and the only way to feel strong is to test it against something. We should never strive to be harmless when strong is an option. If you don't feel it, you should test yourself. Because there, you would, without doubt, find that you are extremely strong.
“When you forgive, you love. And when you love, God’s light shines upon you.”
When "God's light shines upon you", you must undoubtedly feel alive. So that means "when you love, you live". And we should all strive to live — so love and forgive.
“Happiness is only real when shared”
One of the most iconic and quite surprising scenes is one of the final scenes of Christopher McCandles life. After having spent years searching for something outside society, in the wilderness, through lonesomeness, having searched for happiness through his entire journey, he writes his final discovery as the above quote. Paradoxically, he had to leave family, friends, lovers behind to finally understand that life is only really happy if he shares it with the ones he left behind.
At least I find some comfort in the fact that the protagonist of into the wild lived more on his short journey than most people will ever do. He experienced life to the full, understood more about life, was wiser than most. So we have nothing to be sorry for — he lived a good life. Ultimately, we can just learn from the movie, the author, and Supertramp, McCandles and continue our endeavour to understand what life is all about.
The final quotes I want to highlight starts with the conversation between the farmer Wayne and McCandles that are discussing his venture towards Alaska.
Wayne Westerberg: What are you doing when we’re there? Now you’re in the wild, what are we doing?
Christopher McCandless: You’re just living, man. You’re just there, in that moment, in that special place and time.
In the book, he expanded upon it:
“I don’t want to know what time it is. I don’t want to know what day it is or where I am. None of that matters.”
When you think about it, this is an absolute truth — none of that really matters. Really cutting to the chase, all these social constructs don't matter at all. Nothing will fulfil you if it is just given to you or if society indirectly forces you to do it. It will, over time, feel fake and foreign. The purpose of your life is to find what matters and then chase that with all your heart. It will not be easy — it will test you to your core, but it is the only thing that matters.
“When you want something in life, you just gotta reach out and grab it.”
