“…there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” ― Christopher McCandless
Into the wild (2007) is probably one of the best movies ever made to have filmed tragic heroism. Christopher Johnson McCandless’s story is the perfect example of hamartia. He was an American hiker and a brilliant young intellectual who ventured into the Alaskan wilderness for the love of adventure and solitude. Not every people have the potentiality and courage to come out of their comfort zone and live the life of a wandered. We are never ready to unplug ourselves from the secure and go on an unprecedented adventure.
Here are the 6 things I learnt from ‘Into the Wild’:
Have the courage to live your dreams
Chris had the potentiality to stand firm by his dreams. No matter how many times you fall in life, if you can rise after those failures, you are the real hero. Strive harder to achieve your dream. Compromise should never be an option for you. Never choose the easiest path else you will regret your decision in the long run. Chris says “the sea’s only gifts are harsh blows, and occasionally the chance to feel strong… in life it is not necessarily to be strong but to feel strong.” If you have the willingness to achieve your goal, it will mean that you are already mid way. Yes, the journey will probably not be smooth, but when you reach the end, you will get what you worth.
It takes nothing to be generous
McCandless could survive on the voyage only because of the generosity of the people he met during his journey. Had they not be kind and generous, the movie could have never been made. The open handedness of the old man who invited Chris to his house is a perfect example to prove my point. The old man in return could also grab a lot from Chris who motivated him to give up his monotonous life and go out on adventure and get a thrilling experience out of life.
Forget the society, their opinion does not matter
Never allow the opinion of others to hold you back. No matter how much you try, you cannot satisfy everyone. Someone or the other is bound to question your belief system or ideology. It depends on how firm you can remain on your decisions. In the movie, if McCandless had listened to the opinions of others he would have never achieved what he did. Forget the world as they hardly matter. No one is wearing your shoes. Hence, they in no case will understand you.
Do not get swayed by materialism
In the movie, when Christopher’s parents wanted him to get rid of the junkie and buy him a new ‘fancy’ car, he denied tooth and nail. He was happy with whatever he had. We leave in a world where new is considered better, where material possessions make people happy and satisfied and compel people to crave for more. Possessions will never love you back as there are more in line to be launched. The bottom line is you will never feel satisfied. It becomes real difficult to find things that will make you contended. But if you know where to find exactly, you have mastered the art of living. No matter how safe and secure we feel with earthy possessions, happiness of the soul lies in tranquility and away from materialism.
Be pioneers, lead the way
Break free from society and socially bound norms. If we do not have the courage to stand up against the society for something we feel is right, what is the purpose of such a dull and boring living? We are so hallucinated by the idea of a perfect life that we no longer feel the need to make road on a barren land. Security, conformity and protection have blinded our vision. We have built a kind of protective layer around us and we are afraid to step out of it. Save yourself, break free and lead the way just as Christopher did.
Books are your best companion
Books are actually better than live human beings. The reason being they never let you down and instead boosts your confidence. They are always your best friends. Carry them along wherever you go and you will never feel lonely in their presence. Chris too had the companion for his bookish characters in his journey. He was fond of writers like Tolstoy, Jack London and Thoreau. The relationship you have with books is the strongest of all as you have to face breakup or heartbreaks from them.
Akshay Agarwal
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