Happiness Only Real When Shared
“Into the Wild” chronicles the adventures of Christopher McCandless, a young man looking to disconnect from a conventional and materialistic life.
After watching the movie I realize I will likely need to read the book to experience, and understand, his complete adventures. While I admire his search for something true, I found it quite sad that he found death in his journey of self-discovery.
While McCandless may have found some happiness in his isolation and the vast Alaskan wilderness, his tragic story should also be a cautionary tale. The life and people he was so desperate to abandon was replaced by an equally powerful need of companionship.
In the movie McCandless writes the following words in the margin of one of his books, “happiness only real when shared.” Like many human emotions, I really believe they only become really when demonstrated.
You can say you love someone, but that is only true if you actually show him or her every day. And happiness only becomes real when shared. Sadly, McCandless came to that conclusion to late.
Discovering the world, and your own self, is an attractive journey. But I’ve found any journey is lonely without the ones you love.
