Into the wild

The only thing more loathesome than the selfish, know-it-all middle class brat that was McCandless is this film's transparent attempt to sanitize his character. Puke.
 
jh205 said:
The only thing more loathesome than the selfish, know-it-all middle class brat that was McCandless is this film's transparent attempt to sanitize his character. Puke.
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Tell me how you really feel.

I think that you have to take from this what you can. I think that there is some dramatization or romaticism about the story. Take from it what you will. A man with no trianing, no specialized knowledge, and very little equipment went and did something that most locals and many experts consider to be stupid. People also stick forks in the electrical outlet. I think this kid had a mental disconnect. I'm not sure he was a brat in the sense that he felt privileged or otherwise. I think he was mentally ill, and failed to deal with his mental illness in a meaningful way. Some of us are simply destined to fade out, however undramatic it might be.
 
alco141 said:
this is a sad story about a person with some deep seated psych issues that while working them out exposed himself to a lot of dangerous situations.....trying to exorcize his demons.
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Not to perpetuate deep steriotypes, but I was always told that was how much of Alaska became settled in the first place ;)
 
I saw some show on Dateline about a guy who had his arm caught in a rock formation
After a few days he decided to cut off his arm with a DULL Leatherman :eek:
I think they mentioned a book?
He's a motivational speaker now I think

Listening to him describe the pain of cutting through his nerves ("like little white spaghetti") was tough !!!............
 
Brian Jones said:
Doh! LOL. And Australia too! (just kidding jh - ha!).
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and here i thought that australia was settled by convicts and undesirables, much like the usa.

i think that alaska was settled more from greed and the gold fields than from the psych issues, seems like the nut jobs sort themselves out by natural selection sooner than later just like this unfortunate did.

alex
 
alco141 said:
and here i thought that australia was settled by convicts and undesirables, much like the usa.

i think that alaska was settled more from greed and the gold fields than from the psych issues, seems like the nut jobs sort themselves out by natural selection sooner than later just like this unfortunate did.

alex
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That's always struck me as one of the funniest moments in British history: "Henceforth, we banish you convicts from our rainy, miserable rock, and banish you to this sun-drenched beach of paradise FOREVER!"

Jeez, suit yourselves, limeys!
 
I honestly think he planned to die, or at least didn't really care enough to spend a lot of time studying or buying proper supplies. He was all for the adventure. He supposedly died from cold and starvation from what I hear (I have yet to see the movie and I haven't read the book but I have read up on him here and there). Before he died, he took a picture of himself holding a sign that said "goodbye", and he was smiling, as if to finally be at peace with knowing he was going home to rest. As for me, I have studied a bit on how to properly field dress different kinds of animals... I have really good supplies that I've spent a year gathering (they are EXPENSIVE and I needed to learn which ones had the best quality for my intended situations).
I myself plan to go off the grid right before the general elections, and more than likely I might die but I don't worry about it. I have planned this for almost two years, and if I die, more than likely it will be by some federal agent ranger dude who is tasked to track possible "dissidents" who fled their state because of martial law (or some other BLEEPED up reason). America is going to collapse, and the powers that be, are going to strengthen their grip on the Constitution and a lot of people are going to die. That is why I bought a handgun and invested in some damn good camping gear while learning woods lore.
I know the main tip in learning woods lore, is going out and trying ideas on for "size" and practice. I haven't been able to do that really because I don't have a car and no REAL friends who are interested in these things. Sad. Whenever I tell people the dire straits and state of affairs our country is in, they usually get bored and start talking about sports or cars or what fast food joint they plan to get their next lunch from. They have no idea... I can't see how more people don't think like me, or why the Hell God hasn't introduced more people like myself to me (I am a really cool kick ass person hehhe) so I assume I am going to do this alone. I feel I am very capable of hacking it in the bush with what I have (knowledge and equipment), but I am sorta nervous because I have had no training at least to hone my knowledge into a working second nature.
In any event, I know I will pray a lot in the wild, because that is the main reason I am going out there... to commune if you will with the universe. Some people might think that is gay sounding, but BLEEP it. That is the truth. Again, I might die, but BLEEP it, I will do my best to stay alive and survive but the most important thing I will be doing is praying and developing my relationship with things that are not of this earth. Perhaps, with hope I will develop the eyes to "see" things as they really are, and I just may end up being a forest spirit lol. That is what we all are anyways... just think about that for a second.

Peace.
 
kgd said:
Its always easy to point out mistakes in hindsight. Then again just think about the dumb things you have done in the past ten years. Yeah we talk the talk, prepare our PSKs. But how many times did you take off without that little altoids tin? How many times did you think you have your back up knife in your pack only to find out that the knife wasn't in the pack, cause you were sharpening it the night befor?. How many times were you pulling out the drive way and got to the end of the steet when that annoying beeping came on reminding you to put on your seat belt?
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How many times did I give away all my money, then run into the woods and die?

Guy was a complete mental case. Nothing noble or inspiring about it.

Crazier than Timothy Treadwell? Debatable.

Just as dead? You bet.
 
Sorry to bring this topic back up.

But I just saw the movie last night. It was ok but not great.

What really bothered me is at the end, he died from eating the wrong plant where in a real life he died from starvation.

I think that the ending would have had a bigger impact by making the viewer realize mother nature can kill you with simplicity that you think would be unrealistic.

Maybe its just me.
 
Are there no shrinks on this board?? Somebody needs to intervene and you all know what i'm talking about.
 
As far as the movie is concerned it was alright, alot of hollywood drama and the typical bullshit that comes with every "based on a true story" movie. :jerkit:


For the man himself, I agree with the general idea that he had some major psych issues. But who are we to judge another mans life? At the end, his very last breath, he has to know in his heart that he did things the way HE wanted to. I give him credit for the fact that he didn't let anyone else tell him what to do, he didn't conform to what the general public consider to be the "norm".


There is inspiration to be had in this tragic story, that in the fact that so many of us live a life that belongs to someone else. Our heads become clouded with ideals from the wrong places. We live a life that consist of getting to the bush in our spare time and work consumes our lives. Also the inspiration to gain the knowledge and experience it would take to survive in the wild.

Just my opinion, but it seems to me if you live a life that you feel is fulfilling, and you do things your way and in the end can say you have had a good life, you have done things right.
 
Rat Finkenstein said:
Guy was a complete mental case. Nothing noble or inspiring about it.
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I don't know any more of the story than the movie's trailer, but there have been plenty of mental cases in history who - if not heroic - are at least able to teach us something.

I'd have to describe myself as a mental-case of sorts. Some of you might not understand it, but sometimes gracious amounts of wealth/promise/potential really just don't matter.

One of my theories is that happiness is found most readily in the pursuit of something. Different for every person, but that is the driving force that creates happiness and sadness - a purpose. In my experience, depression is the state of having no goal or objective, and being unable to latch onto one. Normal emotions and psychology all just seem trivial from this objectified experience.

I guess I'd relate it to watching an ant climbing up a mound of dirt. There is a mountain in the background - a truly majestic summit - but it's unreachable and quite intangible. Without being able to define the pursuit (reach the mountain), one despairs. Meanwhile, the ant has it's own mountain - however small in reality - that gives it a purpose, that's as large as the mountain in its reality.

If this guy was able to cling to some dream to the point of death, I imagine there was some satisfaction or fulfillment to it; I applaud him for that much.




Alright, I'll bite:
mystical woodsman,

Are you serious? Just in case it changes your plans, please know that the president doesn't change at the elections... that happens a few months later. Anyway, I hear you, but America has been through worse - unless perhaps, there's something you know that the rest of us don't.

~CanDo
 
alco141 said:
and here i thought that australia was settled by convicts and undesirables, much like the usa.
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WAIT! Poor American history there. Only Georgia was a penal colony. There rest of us 'Mericuns were not totally undesirable.
 
CanDo said:
I don't know any more of the story than the movie's trailer, but there have been plenty of mental cases in history who - if not heroic - are at least able to teach us something.

I'd have to describe myself as a mental-case of sorts. Some of you might not understand it, but sometimes gracious amounts of wealth/promise/potential really just don't matter.

One of my theories is that happiness is found most readily in the pursuit of something. Different for every person, but that is the driving force that creates happiness and sadness - a purpose. In my experience, depression is the state of having no goal or objective, and being unable to latch onto one. Normal emotions and psychology all just seem trivial from this objectified experience.

I guess I'd relate it to watching an ant climbing up a mound of dirt. There is a mountain in the background - a truly majestic summit - but it's unreachable and quite intangible. Without being able to define the pursuit (reach the mountain), one despairs. Meanwhile, the ant has it's own mountain - however small in reality - that gives it a purpose, that's as large as the mountain in its reality.

If this guy was able to cling to some dream to the point of death, I imagine there was some satisfaction or fulfillment to it; I applaud him for that much.




Alright, I'll bite:
mystical woodsman,

Are you serious? Just in case it changes your plans, please know that the president doesn't change at the elections... that happens a few months later. Anyway, I hear you, but America has been through worse - unless perhaps, there's something you know that the rest of us don't.

~CanDo
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Excellent post, Cando. Though I must say wealth is something I often wish I had, if only to buy more, nicer knives, and travel the world in pursuit of my passion.:thumbup:
For many of us the pursuit is quite important, we hear of it for many things, chasing girls, the thrill of the hunt, enjoying the journey, etc.
But fear plays a small role as well, I myself fear that once my dream is fufiled, it will not live up to my expectations. And so for many maybe the dream will always be unfufilled.
 
Say what you will about him but at least he had the balls to get out in the wild and try to make it. I have more respect for that then for people who spend small fortunes on knives and gear to post pictures of it on a message board and rarely(if ever) actually put themselves in a situation where they need to use it - which I'm fairly certain applies to a good chunk of members here.

I'm not trying to flame anybody in particular but theres few things I hate worse than people who ridicule and judge other people who take a risk and fail. Especially from behind a keyboard. It was HIS life, and his choices - and I don't think he was basing them off random peoples opinions.

And comparing him to Timothy Treadwell isn't that accurate. TT had a camera in his face the whole time saying "LOOK AT ME, I'M THE SUPER COOL BEAR-HUMAN'', if you see the documentary done on him without all his rants edited out - you can tell he wishes he was a rock star.
 
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