Passion is something that
comes from the heart. With passion there is a dream and goal that we as people
strive to be great in what we do best. People all over have their own personal
passions that they feel suits them best but sometimes we are too afraid to
pursue them. Sometimes are passion may not feel as important to us as we
thought it would have. This may be lack of support and/or will power. Others
may feel that their passion is so important that they have to leave everything
behind and do whatever it takes to meet their standards and go beyond them no
matter what obstacles they may encounter later on their path. In the book “In
to The Wild” written by John Krakauer, the story line is based off a true story
where the main character Christopher Johnson McCandless goes on a journey to
Alaska to pursue his passion of living out in the wild by himself with nothing
but the clothes on his back and a backpack. He makes a few stops on the way
there along with meeting new people. He experiences good and bad experiences
along the way and towards the end have determined his own fate.
Chris McCandless lived with his parents and has a younger
sister who was Chris’ only true friend. Chris is a young man who had family
issues and was always pushed to go to school and become something his parents
wanted but Chris himself did not want. He was also wealthy and had all the
money he need during and after college. When Chris was finished with school and
got his degree to make his parents proud he found a way out of feeling like a
puppet. He cut away his restraints and found a new gateway of happiness for
himself by pursuing his passions. Chris’ passion is just like anyone’s passion
which is why we can relate. Chris felt that by exploring on his own would give
him the freedom he has always wanted. Chris’ actions are a good example of
someone who will do anything to pursue his passion. He has left behind all of
his materialistic things even his watch so that he could not tell the time of
day. He has burned his money away and became a free spirited person. Our
passions can relate to Chris’ passion in ways of exploration and just having
the thought of trying to attempt in something that could lead to misery or true
happiness.
Like Chris we are all educated in some ways and with our
formal knowledge that we have learned in school I believe can not compare to
our informal knowledge. To have an informal education you are able to have more
of a handle in the world. Street smarts I find to give more of an opportunity
to oneself. Chris McCandless went and graduated from a university with good
grades and decided to leave everything behind him leaving him with his street
smarts. I find that Chris was looking for a good time and every obstacle he has
faced was an experience to learn from. He used probably little of what school
has taught him and went on to find himself a job where he worked for a while.
In his work place he became one of the best employees his work place has ever
had. His boss even offered to pay for him to be in school and this was not
because of what he learned in school but instead of what he has experienced as
well as using knowledge of his own. When he went on his journey to Alaska he
had no map but the only map he had truly was to follow his guts and ask for
help on the way to get to his destination. Chris was a true dreamer. When Chris
had made it to his destination he found himself to be happy in the beginning
but towards the end of his journey he had faced many troubles along the way. As
the days went by he was running out of food and the animals were nowhere to be
found because of the season. Soon his informal education had led him to dead
end. He went into the woods and found berries but little did he realize that
the berries he had found were not meant for human consumption. These berries
had poisoned young Chris and where there was no doctor Chris was dying which later
on he did. He followed his passion to an early grave.
Chris’ story has inspired young wanderers to follow their
passion all over the world. People today still would do anything in order to
pursue their passions. People want to be happy with what they do and as Chris
showed us it does not matter if you are wealthy or pour because if you have the
will power and heart then anything can become possible. Yes the roads we may
take in life can have some bumps on the way there but if we are truly wanting
to find what makes us happy and pursue that happiness then we must be ready to
face any consequences that may come across our paths. Harriet Tubman once said “Every
great dream begins with a dreamer”. I believe she is right because if we do not
have the power to dream then we do not have a passion. We only see ourselves
doing what we think we love to do on the outside and not seeing what we really
want to do on the outside. Chris was a remodel of what we can do and who we can
be. The only question is are we hungry enough to grasp on to opportunity?
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