Into the Wild: Civilization vs. Nature

Who was Chris McCandless and what drove him to live his life the way he did? Many accused him of ignorance, arrogance, and stupidity. Krakauer defends Chris, painting him not as a stupid youth but as an idealistic headstrong boy. He wasn't ill-prepared, he made sure to study. He wasn't suicidal, after all he died a long slow death of starvation. Upon examining his life, Chris proves a much more complex person. Growing up Chris was always critical of his parents' lifestyle and wealth. They worked long hours but were they truly happy? Did they accomplish anything for the greater good of society? More importantly, did Chris think they did? Though Chris seemed concerned with the morality of the world, he was ultimate selfish, focusing on his own individuality, going off into the wild for his own need and desire. Chris seemed to avoid anything that required hard work, unless it had higher value and meaning. He wasn't stupid: "Academically he brought home A's with little effort" but he cared about other things (109). Sports that required any high level of skill or form were not for Chris, "Nuance, strategy, and anything beyond the rudimentary of technique were wasted on Chris" (111). The one sport Chris enjoyed was running, because he was able to find a deeper, spiritual connection to the sport. Krakauer depicts Chris as someone who lived extremely, when he raced, he raced to win, anything he did he had to do his way (lab formats), Chris' view on life was the same. He was unable to accept life's inequalities because he was too extreme to accept gray areas. This follows the way Chris lived his own life in an extreme way, he had to immerse himself completely in his spiritual world and he was unable to accept any other life.
Chris' story is one of searching for a deeper meaning in life because he tries to in such an extreme way. Fundamentally, Chris' theory of life suggests that in our civilized world, we are clouded by something that keeps us from being part of the "real world." His parents lived in the civilized world and he shunned them for it.
I argue that one can live in a true way in the civilized world. People like Chris love nature, because they did not have to deal with the inequalities of nature all the time. Even in the end, Chris begged for help. There is great beauty and power everywhere, often times we cannot see it in our lives because we become to use to our environment we miss the little beautiful details. Nature constantly changes, keeps moving forward bringing life and death but we tune out this force of nature and end up feeling disconnected. According to Chris, there is a deeper relationship humans can share with nature. This may exist but we overlook these opportunities. For Chris, he believed the only way to find that deeper connection was to find the "true" nature. But nature depends upon how we view it. We overlook nature, get caught up in the daily humdrum of life but nature is always there and sometimes all it takes is just a few minutes to acknowledge it. I think Chris tried to do that, but true to his extreme nature, Chris did so in an extreme way. We try to think we're above nature, with our technology and philosophy but in the end, we're still part of nature. Civilization and nature do not have to be in conflict, we can be civilized and live with nature, we just need to learn how.