Last January after I saw Into the Wild, the movie left me wanting to learn more about the main character, Chris McCanless, and motives for his adventure. His death in the Alaskan wilderness seemed completely unnecessary and stupid. I’m not sure I learned much more about his motives other than to experience life in a more raw way than many of us do. Here’s one of my favorite passages in the book, written by McCandless:

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 spirt within a man than a secure future.