Chris McCandless

I re-read Into the Wild, the story of Chris McCandless. For those who haven't read it, it is the story of an idealistic young man who attempted to survive in a remote part of Alaska only to die after 113 days. There is a lot criticism surrounding the book--McCandless having a fatal case of naivete, the possibility that the author made up some parts*---but I still recommend it if only because I agree so strongly with Chris on a philosophical level.

Chris McCandless died because his idealism wasn't tempered by wisdom. What it came to his view on life he only saw black and white when, taking our world on a philosophical level. one needs to appreciate the grays. He was, in his defense, still young, only in his mid-twenties when he died; most of us are still clueless at that age. In this example, it got Chris McCandless killed.

My copy of Into the Wild is heavily underlined. To say I agree on a philosophical level with Chris is an extreme understatement: I loathe many things about our modern society. I have contemplated buying land and living off the grid. I am a minimalist---

The difference is I have had thirty more years to live than he did, I can step back from what I believe and understand it is just that, what I believe. I accept that even at my age I still have a lot to learn---Chris was not that flexible. I still respect him, though. I think some things he did were hollow/dramatic/self involved symbolism (burning his money when others could have used it), but again I still did stupid things like that in my mid-twenties.

In the end, Chris McCandless died of naivete but he died on his own terms. A lot of us talk about following some great adventure like trying to survive in Alaska, but Chris was more than talk---and he almost did it. It was easy to paint him as an overly earnest young man but maybe our shallow society needs more overly earnest young men who are doing more than just throwing words out there, who are living their beliefs. Chris, for all his faults, lived his beliefs, and because of that I admire him. Because of that, I recommend this book by Jon Krakuer

*There is no such thing as a purely non-fiction book. Authors embellish for the sake of narrative. Even the great Travels With Charley is allegedly eighty percent made up by Steinbeck.