Survive it instead

Here you can comment on the book 'Into The Wild' or any other book related to the story.
deja
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Mar 14, 2013 5:55 am

Survive it instead

Postby deja » Thu Mar 14, 2013 6:18 am

I am an archaeologist, thus frequently homeless and without money for food or clothes or supplies. In Alaska I worked and lived on the road. In Alaska you can catch your weight in salmon in a second in a river. In Alaska you can surive on the road. McCandless made a decision, a few miles from the road to give up. If you want to romanticize a man with the strength of a 20 year old and the health of a 20 year old that he had that gave up his life. I suggest reading some Hamlet and weeping about that. Having been lost in Alaska for a few hours I know how terrifying it can be. Having heard bears snuffling a few inches from my camp I know what that is like. I also knew that when I looked directly up and the sun was overhead... I had a pretty good idea where the road might be. McCandless gave up on his life because he was tired of dealing with people. Romanticizing him is risking all of that. I don't like people much. I choose to live my life mostly alone, mostly without contact. I also choose not to die of starvation out of stupidity. I live the majority of my life without human contact because I choose those things. McCandless involved countless humans begging for their strength and trust and taking their money and then he screwed up and became lost and and gave up. He gave up in that silly bus and and now has followers? Many of us live daily with very few luxuries. We live as archaeologists, we live as soldiers, we live as wanderers. The difference is that we don't die a romantic death and leave you with a nonsensical romance story to follow.

Live to fight another day. Do not be another Christopher McCandless.

fredmerlin
Posts: 68
Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2012 10:12 am

Re: Survive it instead

Postby fredmerlin » Thu Mar 14, 2013 11:25 am

Ok, I get where you're coming from. But I have the opinion that Chris made an honest human mistake. Yes, he took his life to the edge, and then errored. However, I believe he wanted to come 'home'. There is plenty of evidence proving that fact. I think the thrill of living on the edge becomes an addiction, and like most addictions, has the potential to kill. He WAS flirting with disaster. I think alot (hopefully most) of us here in this forum, understand the real danger of what happened to Chris. Hopefully most of us are learning from this, and not just going out without adequate prep and provision. And, I don't mean ATVs and exhaust ripping up the terrain. And I don't mean cases of beer cans strewn all over the foothills. And I don't mean the noise, noise, noise that goes along with all that! Adequate prep and provision would be quietly connecting with the Mother Chris went seeking.....and leaving Her as She was found.

deja
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Mar 14, 2013 5:55 am

Re: Survive it instead

Postby deja » Fri Mar 15, 2013 4:14 am

[quote="fredmerlin"]Ok, I get where you're coming from. But I have the opinion that Chris made an honest human mistake. Yes, he took his life to the edge, and then errored. However, I believe he wanted to come 'home'. \quote]

Honestly, I tend to agree fredmerlin. I think McCandless was a young man with some ideas about art and faith and some ideals he hadn't fully explored and they went wrong in a rough landscape. Had he been afforded an opportunity to live a few more years It's my opinion that the kid would have reconnected with his sister and maybe learned something aobut sustainable survival. What would probably crush his soul would be the idea that someone would make his death some kind of bizarre effigy. What would probably depress that starving kid alone, and missing his sister would be the idea that someone would follow him for lack of any other path to follow.

SteveSalmon
Posts: 295
Joined: Thu Sep 30, 2010 4:42 am

Re: Survive it instead

Postby SteveSalmon » Mon Mar 18, 2013 1:40 am

Deja why would you come to a forum that supports and honors someone's life and bitch about how jealous you are blah blah blah?
Sounds to me like you stand alone, not because you've walked away from others, but instead, others have left you behind. You're homeless yet,
have the means to come to this internet forum? You whine about this and that about Chris McCandless when all you've really done
is proven just how misinformed you are. Get your facts straight and stop feeling sorry for yourself. You get no pity party here.

nickparis
Posts: 42
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 7:04 pm

Re: Survive it instead

Postby nickparis » Wed Mar 20, 2013 11:50 am

Completley Agree Steve, good post.


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