Experience or Relationship?

Into the Wild, the 2008 film based on the true story of Christopher McCandless, raises a number of thought provoking ideas about life. Although the idea for this blog entry stems from the film, I’ll stop short of making a recommendation. The (sometimes slow moving) drama is rated 14A (in Canada, R in the US); that being said, if you’ve already seen the film, you’ll easily connect with my thought here – if you haven’t, I hope that you’ll be able to think on the idea presented here without any foreknowledge of the movie.

The premise of the movie is a young college graduate who leaves home – severing all ties with family and friends to embark on an adventurous journey of self-discovery in the wilds of Alaska. The movie chronicles his short life as he travels from Emory University to an old bus (which he turns into a home) in Alaska. Along the way we watch him interact with new friends, as well as his environment.

The movie prompts us to consider a number of ideas, including the weight we place on money; what our needs are, and what, truly, are luxuries. Chris gives virtually everything away – burns his cash, donates all of his savings, and embarks on his journey.

But perhaps most importantly, we are prompted to consider the importance of relationships. Even though the idea of a relationship with God is only addressed briefly in the movie, as a Christian it is the focus of my attention, which is why I choose to write about it here.

At first glance, the movie seems noble; he trades material wealth, status obtained by education, employment, cars and houses - as well as his parents aspirations for his future, for "experience". In doing so, he also trades relationships. Although he encounters a number of interesting characters along the way, he is determined to find happiness and fulfillment alone – in the solitude of Alaska – relying on nothing… no one. He is convinced that he will find some type of inner peace, direction and fulfillment in this experience.

He develops an interesting relationship with an older gentleman named Ron, and the two trade ideologies – philosophies on life, trying to find this illusive sense of fulfillment. When Chris decides it’s time to move on, he says this to his friend:

“You’re wrong if you think that the joy of life comes principally from human relationships. God’s placed it all around us, it’s in everything, in anything we could experience. People just need to change the way they look at those things.”

Although that thought is not theologically accurate, indeed, it’s clearly a pantheistic idea, contrary to what the Bible says, he nonetheless raises an interesting conversation. I think that Chris McCandless is partially right – if our search for joy and happiness is solely aimed at our interaction with each other – we are bound to find only disappointment and hopelessness. I believe we do need to change the way we look at life – we need to change our line of sight from horizontal, to vertical. Surely we will only find disappointment - we are all sinners in need of reconciliation, and if this is the case, we will never find that which we seek. We will be left only with a gnawing sense of ... emptiness. An emptiness that we will try to fill will monetary things, with important jobs, social security and status. What we really need is to search for our fulfillment from the only One who can truly fulfill.

At the end of his life (sorry to those who haven’t seen the movie, but I've heard it said – we all die sometime – and if you’ve done any research about Chris McCandless, you know how the story ends anyway), with a weak and shaky hand, he writes this in a book:

“Happiness only real when shared”

I urge you, Brothers and Sisters… let us find happiness and fulfillment in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ first, and then share that happiness with one another. Let’s take stock of our lives, evaluating what is really truly important. My prayer today is that we would let God change our hearts desires to His. May we see life as it was supposed to be lived and find true fulfillment.