Into the Wild

I'm reading this book, Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer. It's a true story about Chris McCandless, a young man no older than 24 years old who hits the road to make a new life for himself. His travels take him all over the Mid-West, meeting all sorts of people whom he'd impacted greatly. His final journey would take him to the Alaskan bush, where he would tragically meet his end. However he died doing what he loved, and he knew of the risks beforehand.

Now, don't think I spoiled the book, because it says he dies on the cover.



Now since I've been reading this book I've noticed more than a few similarities between McCandless and myself. When they found his starved body he had with him a number of books and journals. In some of these books he had highlighted some passages, one of which perfectly describes how I feel about life.

"I want movement, not a calm course of existence. I want excitement and danger and the chance to sacrifice myself for my love. I feel in myself a superabundance of energy which finds no outlet in our quiet life." - Leo Tolstoy.

To be honest I'm bored...on a large scale. Not the typical boredom we experience day-to-day, but bored in general. Every day is pretty much the same, school, home, workout, eat, sleep. I'm also tired of the materialistic society we live in today. I admit that not too long ago I was pretty materialistic, but I have a different mind-set now. I think over the summer I realized that no matter how many cool, nice things you own, they aren't guaranteed to make you happy. I was bored out of my mind all summer long and it made me realize the more important things in life.

Hopefully the road I take doesn't lead me towards a fate like that of Chris J. McCandless, but only God knows what life has in store for me. The beauty of life is the surprising experiences we all gain knowledge and strength from and I can't wait.