Into the Wild

I am currently reading Jon Krakauer's novel Into the Wild. It's about a man in his early twenties who rejects society because of what he sees as its flaws. He decides to go out alone, change his name, and travel all around North America by walking and hitchhiking. He lives an ascetic lifestyle and so far in my reading, I have noticed many similarities between Siddhartha, and Chris McCandless, the main character of Krakauer's book. They are both seeking a deeper understanding of the world, a more intense closeness with nature, and seeking an understanding of where they fit into the world as a whole. Siddhartha tries to understand the world to a fuller extent by gaining knowledge, having experiences, and depriving himself. Chris does almost the exact same. He gives all of his savings to charity and goes penniless, he wanders in hopes of having enlightening experiences, and he reads a lot in search of knowledge. In terms of gaining a closer relationship with nature, Siddhartha goes into the woods and listens to the river. Chris goes into the woods too, and attempts to live off the land and come to peace with himself through nature. It doesn't work out so well in the end; some hikers find him dead and rotting in a van. Finally, they are both trying to find where they fit in the world as a whole. Siddhartha looks for a very long time and doesn't find it unil he meets Vasudeva. Although we can never be sure if Chris had a realization of where he fit in to the world, it is certain that through his wanderings and ascetic lifestyle his ultimate goal was to know where and how he fit into the larger scheme of things, despite his unconventional ways of finding this out.

A hero is whatever you want it to be. You can have as high or as low standards as you want to formulate your own personal definition of a hero, meaning that you can be very inclusive, or very exclusive. To decide what constitutes a hero, you also need content. You need to be able to relate to this person and the actions that distinguished them as a hero. You also need to have knowledge relating to their actions. I very rarely think about heroes and what constitutes a hero because it is so subjective and personal that it's unlikely that I would have the same feelings about another person's hero status. It seems like a title given to someone so that they can be more convincing or can accomplish a goal. It seems like the kind of thing applied to someone, that people think sounds good and admirable, but fail to actually think about and analyze. There is no universal hero. I fail to understand the importance of being named a “hero.” It doesn’t change who you are, or give you any more qualifications. Why is the title of hero assigned to people in society? It doesn’t seem to have any point.

Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Grandpa

My grandpa does not have a high level of formal education, but behind his unfailing smile, there is a level of wisdom and knowledge that I hope to one day possess. He was born to a working class family, and has had to work his way up from there. He says things like "you never get far without working hard," and he knows this from experience. He started a company after getting out of a school, and has worked hard to educate himself to make his business a success. "Attitude is everything," is another one of his favorites. He knows that attitude is important, and he shows it. If I was asked to find any time when he has not shown optimism and a good attitude, I would instantly fail. This has helped to make him such a fun guy and my number one role model. He's also a believer in effort. He tells me to try hard and give all that I've got. Finally, he is a believer in perseverance. He has not quit, and that has made him a success. Even if he doesn't get what he wants, I always know that he has succeeded, just because he always perseveres. If he believes in something, he will work for it, and not give up when he's frustrated or when he's not looking likely to come out on top. My grandpa has if figured out pretty well. If someone were to follow all of these unfailingly, like my grandpa, that person would be a great success because after you've acquired a good work ethic, a good attitude, giving everything you've got, and persevering no matter what the circumstances, many other great things, that are more closely related to success, will be much easier to come by.

The Lord of the Rings

My favorite movie, or in this case trilogy, is The Lord of the Rings. The three main aspects that I like about it are the scenery, the plot, and the soundtrack. The scenery adds a lot to the movie by making it feel like you are actually there, hiking in the mountains, or having a quaint, but nonetheless spirited, celebration with the Hobbits. The plot also enhances the movie quite a bit. I usually have a hard time sitting through a long movie, but The Lord of the Rings kept me very engaged. It is fast paced enough to not let it get boring, but also not so fast that it ignores small details that make it feel realistic and interesting. Finally, the Lord of the Rings is my favorite series of movies because it has an excellent soundtrack. In most movies, the music is something that doesn't subtract, but also doesnt add anything. In the Lord of the Rings, the music adds a lot because of how well it is composed, and how well it fits every scene very well. I am currently reading The Hobbit, and hopefully will read the trilogy afterwards. It is almost always the case that the book is better than the movie. If this is true in this instance, then I have a lot to look forward to in reading the books.