Some say he’s wise, others say he’s crazy, I say so what? In March of 1992, Chris McCandless went on an adventure into the wild. He risked his life to follow his dream of exploring Alaska. Because Chris decided to live his life the way he wanted to, he has been scrutinized and accused of being insane, stupid, suicidal and more. After reading Into The Wild for the fourth time, I came to a sudden conclusion; who cares why Chris went into the wild? Why are so many people interested in his story?

Chris began his life pleasing his family and living the way he was told was correct. After graduating college, he decided he did not want a life full of money, work and greed; he wanted an adventure. Chris wanted to explore Alaska living in the simplest way possible, so he did. Before leaving, Chris packed his life away, sold most of his possessions and began his journey.

22 years ago, Chris McCandless walked into the wild. Since Chris did not prepare for his journey to the fullest extent, many people believe he was insane or wanted to kill himself. I do not believe that these statements are true. Although he should have better prepared himself for the harsh weather and scarce food, Chris truly believed he did not need material possessions to live. While he was in the wild, Chris lived a very happy life and was satisfied with the decisions he had made. Because Chris made his own decisions and deliberated each outcome, I do not believe he should be viewed as incompetent or dumb. Should we judge a man who chose to step outside of the norm and focus on a life he wanted to be proud of?

On the other hand, some people view Chris as a hero. I also do not agree with this statement. Although I do not believe Chris was insane or wanted to die, he should have better prepared himself for the obvious obstacles he would face. Chris read about the terrain, weather, food, and overall living capabilities of Alaska and still did not prepare to his best ability. He also did not do anything specific that should be praised. Chris simply lived his life the way he wanted to and took an adventure outside of the everyday American life. Should we praise a man who chose to find himself outside of his family and the society he’d grown to hate?

Chris did not harm anyone, steal anything, or otherwise do anything to hinder the lives of others on his adventure. Because this is true, I believe we should not label Chris as insane or crazy for the choices he made. Rather than focusing on a man who simply lived, we should be focused on the problems our world faces today. With murderers, hunger, natural disasters and economic ruin, why is a man who took an adventure into the wilderness a focus today? If Chris was alive today, I do not believe he would want the world to be focused on his life. Having a book written about him and studied by school children is almost the opposite of what he was trying to do with his life. I think he would rather us create our own lives the way we want them, then study the reasons why he chose to live his.

After reading this book several times, I have begun to question why we are still talking about it. Why should what he did with his life be anyone else’s business? He was happy with the way his life was, so why should we care? Why are we still talking about a man who went into the wild 22 years ago? Although he impacted many lives, including mine, he did not do anything extraordinary. Is it such a strange concept that someone lived differently than the way you would want to? Many of these questions can simply never be answered. Without Chris here to explain every decision he made, we will never truly know his reasoning. Because of this realization, I have chose to stop asking questions about others’ lives, and start living my own.