Heading “Into the Wild”

Sean Penn’s “Into the Wild”, based on the life of Christopher McCandless, is a film not to be missed. It tells the story of a successful young man (by American standards); an accomplished athlete and college graduate with money in the bank. Instead of living the life that so many in his position have lived, he leaves it all in search of something better. His search is a personal journey that takes him across America, and ultimately up to the Alaskan wilderness. His goal to simplify life, to get back to the basics is something those he meets in his wanderings don’t quite understand. Undeterred by their disbelief, he forges on.

I won’t give away the ending, even though you’ve probably heard it already. As he sits in an abandoned bus, he journals his thoughts on the meaning of his life; what is important to him. In his solitude from everyone he’s ever known, he comes to a profound conclusion. His journey was inward, an attempt to separate himself from others. Alone and hurting, he realizes that what he really needed all along was to be a part of community.

I wonder how many drifters have come to this conclusion. Alone on the road, I wonder how many of them realize that the times they were happiest was when they were with family or friends. Perhaps they’re drifting because they haven’t experienced healthy community, and are searching for something they know they want but not what. I wonder how many of us are on that search, trying to find that missing piece that we’re looking for.