Into the Wild

This is the story of Alexander Supertramp, real name Christopher McCandless:

http://outside.away.com/outside/features/1993/1993_into_the_wild_1.html

I ran into this when i was a smaller kid (like 6) and always been fascinated by this story.  Although the story ends tragically, he lived his life to the fullest extent of how he could live life. Some would say burning your money and leaving your Datsun behind and calling your self tramp everywhere you go doesn't sound all that awesome. Those people are stupid, have you ever driven a Datsun? You would leave yours behind too, trust me.

But in all seriousness, this is an amazing story of altruism and happiness, even when leading a simple life. He barely believed in any material possession, and he still managed to live a full life. I do not feel sorry for his death, and in fact like to think he would have liked to die in a manner similar to this. I know he suffered much in his last moments, and that his death is entirely because of his own stupidity (Hey he did drive a Datsun after all), but I can't shake the feeling that what he did was the rightest thing in the world.

Everyone should live a life like Supertramp. Not in the nomadic, leave all temporal possessions behind and die in Alaska kind of life. But people should live the ideal behind his life. Live life to the fullest doing what you truly want, and helping others, being an altruist not an egoist, and pursuing happiness to death. If you do not want to live in society, then don't struggle with it. Let go, never hold on, always take a chance. It may have killed him, but in a way, it saved him. Money, intelligence and security did not make him happy, and he simply let it go like this, though society tells you this is how you live, and if you do not live this way, you will not live period. He proved them wrong, but ironically, right at the same time.

I think his struggle touched a deep problem in society. The fact that we promote freedom and equality for others, that we call for our selves to pursue our own happiness and our own path, however, we hypocritically only present one path, the path for material, even fake happiness. We not only scoff, but hide the possibility of true happiness being found outside the disconcerting greed of the capitalist machine. Maybe it is a misguided path, the one he took. I do not believe in Communism like he did, but I do believe we are entitled to seek happiness the way we see it, not the way we are presented to it, and no one should have the right to stop us, to scoff at it, to try and stop it.  No one should be able to tell us what's for our own good or not, when it is not interfering with any other persons personal freedom. Why should I not be allowed to live in a public street if this is the way i envision happiness? Simply because someone who does not believe it is the way life should be lived, or because they do not find it pretty, I should be forced to comply with them? Isn't that, in principle, denying me my rights to live out of this society?

Then why don't we follow our own principles? Why do we refuse to give the liberties to people who we our selves say they are entitled to? Is it, then, human nature to force onto others our ideas and opinions? Isn't that much like religious oppression? Idealistic oppression? Aren't we supposed to be more like Supertramp, living our ideals without ever censuring others? Aren't we supposed to be against this hypocrisies? Why do those who cope with the struggles of modern society get the say on what others say, the ones who set the rules of right and wrong, and the others get the shaft? Vagrants, in general, do not do much harm. It is true some cause trouble, but that is because they are not by choice vagrants and runaways, but by necessity. There are always troublemakers in any part of society, like for examples 92% of the people in Weston.*

*Probably actually true

I think it is a hive mind idea that vagrants are ugly, foul smelling rejects of society that should be dealt with. But that is the wrong view. If you read the book, or watch the movie, you will know that vagrants and social rejects can form their own beautiful culture, such as the desert culture, and live full filling lives without having to adapt to a society they do not agree with.

On a lighter note, I am glad I live where I live in the time I am living. I very much love society, even if sometimes it feels like I should just go out and be. And I know I will do that, as I have done before, because there is something beautiful about not being attached to the world that one cannot feel unless they abandon any idea of possession. I think all of us should try it someday.

Links:

Into the Wild (movie)

Into the Wild (book): By Jon Krakauer

P.S: Sorry for the lack of Images.