Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Where would you go?

I was watching this movie last night called "Into the Wild". It told the story of a man who got so sick of his parents, corporations and the whole world in general, that he determined to go live a solitary life in Alaska. Apparently it was based on a true story too, which makes it even more amazing.
Absolutely fascinating movie, and like all good movies, really made me think about life. I could see where this guy was coming from. Obviously his circumstances where a lot more dramatic than mine, but I actually understood why he wanted to get away from it all.
The music for the film was also pretty stunning (it was done by a guy called Eddie Vedder, who is also the frontman for the band Pearl Jam). But out of all the songs included on the movie, there was this one which I particularly liked called "Society". It had this line in it which went something like this:


        "Society, you're a crazy breed. I hope you're not lonely without me." 


Out of all the inspirational quotes in the film, this line got me the most. And as I watched the events unfold in the film I got to thinking: Would society really be lonely without me? That is, if I was to leave, would I be missed? Or would the world keep on turning? Like the lead role in the film, I've often felt like an outcast, a loner, just someone who everyone overlooks. Like the kind of person who doesn't quite fit in society....
Another thing that I got thinking about is this: Where would you go? If you weren't held back by any limits which society places on you, and you went somewhere just because you wanted to, where would you go? There's a great scene in the movie where the man gets told that he has to wait 12 years to get a pass to be allowed to paddle down this river. He turns politely to the officer who's told him this and thanks him. Then in the very next scene, he just tosses his canoe into the river and goes for it.
So often we hold ourselves back from all we could be because we're scared of what people will think, what they'll do, or the consequences.
But life itself is about being on the edge....
I don't want to end up in an office in a high rise building in a fancy suit sipping coffee and talking about a report I should have filed. As much as that is a respectable job, and good on the people who do it, to me it's not really  living! We were born to be more than this! The problem with the western world today is it makes everything so BORING! It's almost as if it's designed to suck all the risk, danger, and joy at fulfilling an "impossible" task out of our lives, and replace it with a comfortable, soft bubble.
If I was not restrained by anything, money included, I would hike around Italy. Just with a backpack, and maybe a few friends.
And then maybe I'd visit Alaska.
Where would you go?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

siberia.. the trans-siberian railway.. nearly ten thousand kilometres of a completely foreign world.. to experience that people not only survive but thrive in places of destitution and solitude and be rich and full with it

gallipolli.. the beaches and the poppyfields.. to say to the souls whose lives were lost that their sacrifice was not in vain, and that i am thankful for the life I have because they gave up theirs

a small lower central nz city youth hostel.. where lives a boy with a heart of gold and a soul which sings poetry sometimes with words, seeking to make the world a better place by being the best he can be.. and doing a damned good job of it

i would miss you.

xoMe