Who knew that my popularity made others popular just by being in my presence?
Finished book 3 of 100 on Friday, Into the Wild by John Krakauer. It wasn’t technically a Top 100 book according to the list but I added it just because it caught my eye somewhere else. It’s about a guy, Chris McCandless, AKA Alexander Supertramp, who was fresh out of college that decides just to leave everything and travel to whereever he ends up, first by car, then on foot. It isn’t an entirely unusual thing for a person to do, his story just got noticed because he ended up starving to death in an abandoned bus out in the boonies of Alaska. The conclusion that was made was that he ate some seeds that had a toxic mold on it and that is what caused his death. The book kind of chronicles his travels during the little over two years after he dropped off the earth, weaving in stories from others with similar stories and the people who knew him both before and during his travels. People have a differing opinions on him, from admiring his journey and what he was about to thinking he was a dumbass who didn’t prepare and didn’t respect the conditions that he would be facing. I have to admit that I have had and still do have a little wanterlust and wish I could just go off and disappear for a while. I still have a pipe dream of making the “epic journey” to Alaska on the back of a Kawasaki KLR650 all loaded down with gear like many have done before me. It always seems so far away though and way out of reach. I’ve wanted to just up and quit my job and just go do “something else” but I am held back by the comforts of life that I enjoy now.
I enjoyed this quote from a letter that he wrote to someone he met during his travels.
“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.”
All in all it was a pretty good read, and I have to admit that I am enjoying this little project. On to book 4, which will take a little longer to get through. It’s Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. About 1400 pages normally but my copy is only about 1100 since it’s the tiny print version.
Also I need to get back out and get running again. I haven’t gone a step since the half 3 weeks ago and neither has Jess. It’s best to keep at it or it only hurts all the more when I do get started again. Maybe I’ll pull the bike out and go for a ride too.