book review: into the wild

I recently finished Into the Wild by John Krakauer, a book that a friend loaned me. It is an incredible story of a young man that "tramped" across the western part of the United States in search of what it really means to live. I am a huge outdoor enthusiast and I love the West, so this story immediately struck a chord with me. Chris McCandless was a recent college graduate from Washington D.C. who left school in Atlanta and gave away what money he had then headed West to find freedom. He was a very intelligent, well read young man, even a bit of an idealist. He read everything he could from the classics like Thoreau and Tolstoy to the bestsellers of his time (the 1990's). After traveling extensively across Colorado, Arizona, California, and South Dakota to mention a few, he decided to take the ultimate adventure to Alaska and "live off the land for a while." Little did he know that 112 days into his Alaskan adventure he would end up starving to death in an abandoned bus some 15 miles from civilization. When the author dug deeper into McCandless' life he unearthed a mound of hurt. McCandless took a trip across country after his senior year and discovered that his father had lived a double life for a while. Chris was a very introverted person and kept his anger and pain inside, not letting on to his parents he was privy to their convoluted past. Over the next few years at home, his relationship with his parents deteriorated and after moving to Atlanta for college, they rarely talked at all. Halfway through the book the author, John Krakauer, compares Chris to himself, explaining how they had similar experiences and how they both looked to the Wild for meaning, purpose, and joy in life. After an attempt at climbing the north face of the Devil's Thumb, a mountain in remote Alaska that had never been climbed before, John realized that the Wild could not heal the hurt inside. Chris McCandless realized this too, or at least that's what we can conclude from his journal. He realized that the Wild could not satisfy his yearnings for meaning in life. Tragically though, because he was not prepared properly, he starved to death. He was never satisfied completely with the Wild. As much as I would like it, none of us can be.

Now let's shift gears. I once heard a very wise man say that we must look for the Gospel in everything. So, I did while reading this book. I found a young man without evidence of Christ in his life hurting greatly. Without somebody to steer him towards Christ and healing, he tried to find comfort in what most of us look to: creation. Chris looked for it in the natural creation. Some of us look for it in things that we have created, such as gadgets and toys. Either way, its the same. We are still looking to the created rather than the Creator, the only one who can give true joy, simply, because he created it. Christ is the only ultimate satisfaction. In John 15, he tells the disciples to abide in him so that, his joy may be in them and their joy, "may be full." Christ wants to give us everything that Chris was searching for. Healing from hurt, meaning and purpose for life, and truly abundant joy are all things that Christ wants to supply for us. Why then do we search the created? Unfortunately, because of Adam's sin we are hardwired to. We can't understand the things of God because we are sinners, so we naturally look to the things we do understand: the created. So what's the remedy? There is a very simple answer: Jesus Christ. A life with Christ cannot compare with any other. Don't wander for so long like Chris did and end up never finding what you're looking for. God is a real God, and he longs for and loves you. If you're hurting run to him, not the things he created, because in the end they can't help.

-Justin

P.S. I recommend this book to anybody especially somebody who likes outdoor adventures, it is an easy read and has a gripping storyline. I loved it.