Hubris

It was postmarked April 27,

1992. “Greetings from Fairbanks!” it reads,

This is the last you shall hear from me Wayne. Arrived here 2 days ago. It was very difficult to catch rides in the Yukon Territory. But I finally got here. Please return all mail I receive to the sender. It might be a very long I return South. If this adventure proves fatal and you don’t ever me again, I want you to know you’re a great man. I now walk into the wild.

- Alex

Happy birthday, Christopher McCandless. 2/12/1968- 1992

Today's post explores the life of Christopher McCandless aka Alex Supertramp.

For Those of you that know me, know that I spent a few months up in Fairbanks, Alaska. My husband spent about two years up there working. Alaska is something else. Even though I did not get experience Alaska for all that it is, I am still glad I had the opportunity to live there for a moment. My husband and I want to own a cabin up there, sometime down the road. I yet have to experience its – 60° weather. Fairbanks, is the city where Alex ventures out into the wild.

Written by Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild, is a book that retells Alex's life and adventures. There is also a a film with the same title directed by Shaun Penn. Some of my Alaskan friends may criticize the McCandless story and be annoyed at how his death and lifestyle is romanticized, I do not blame them. The most critical statements made towards McCandless, come from people who live in Alaska, people who are experienced in rugged outdoor living. Regardless of these views, there is much to be learned from Alex. By no means do I deny the fact that Alex died a stupid death. Even thought he was gifted and talented and had above average intelligence, he sure lacked some common sense. His lack in humility, stubborn idealism, and hubris attitude, with an underestimation of the land and a mixture of unfortunate events with the course of time lead to a solemn death. Ironically, the artists he so idolized, lived a life contrary to what they preached, or what their art portrayed. Alex however measured his friends and those he admired by their art and works, rather than the life they lead. And even though he held himself and close friends to an extremely high code of ethics, and extended forgiveness to those who had lead their life astray, and had made grave mistakes he failed to extend this same courtesy to his family, especially his father. He is also a jerk for just leaving his family, with no explanation, never called or write to let them know he was ok. He Pretty much erased his family.

So why then do I defend him, or why do I feel sympathy towards him? What is there to learn from him? Well like everything else boys and girls, learning comes in all sorts of ways. Even though his death is a tragedy, there is much to be said about his drive for life, his desire for people to treat each other better, his go out and do attitude, and a desire to improve this world. And of course we can't forget the obvious lesson, to be taken away from this : be humble, be prepared.

1990 Alex graduated Emory University. After graduating, he had a remainder of 24,000 dollars left in his account that had been given to him by family for school. He signed over a check for that full amount to OXFAM American, a charity whose focus is on fighting hunger, something that Alex always had a heart for. “At long last he was unencumbered, emancipated from the stifling world of his parents and peers, a world of abstraction and security and material excess, a world in which he felt grievously cut off from the raw throb of existence” (p 18). Alex was on a search for a raw transcendental experience, in a Thoreauvian sort of sense. Alex was an itinerant, who made his way through Arizona, California, paddled down remote parts of the, Colorodo river, temporarily worked in South Dakota, and even ended up in Mexico. All through his journey he met many people, who often fed him and provided him aid. Alex was the type to make an impression on someone. The time had finally come for him to embark on what he called is Alaskan odyssey. He hitch hiked his way up to the Yukon territory and eventually into Fairbanks Alaska. Out into the bush he went, with minimal supplies and food. Setting camp in an old abandoned bus off stampede trail. He spent 4 months in solitude living off the land hunting and foraging for food. With him he had a 10-pound bag of rice, a semi-automatic rifle with 400 rounds of ammunition, a book of local plant life, several other books, and some camping equipment. He took pride in surviving with the minimal supplies. The 113 days spent in the bush, he kept a diary of some sort, high lighted passages from some of his favorite books, and inscribed to do lists. It appears that Alex was planing on rejoining society, he had come to the realization that“happiness only real when shared.” Life took a turn for the worst however.

From reading the book and looking on the internet, his cause of death is a debate. While Kraukauer would have us believe that Alex died from ingesting seeds that may have contained alkoloids, which are sometimes produced even by non toxic foods, such as the wild potato which he had been eating for a while now. Even though the wild potato is not toxic, the seeds could have been the possible cause of his demise. The problem with this theory however is that no toxins were found in Alex's autopsy. The most probable cause is starvation. The game he had been hunting was lean, he probably died of what is called rabbit starvation. It is so stupid, how relatively close civilization was to magic bus. Alex however for practical purposes was cut off from the rest of the world. “The bush is an unforgiving place, however , that cares nothing for hope or longing.” Pg 6

According to the moral absolutism which Alex adopted, a challenge in which a successful outcome is assured isn't much of a challenge (p 125). Alex saw the world in black and white. If I can characterize Alex, one thing for sure is that he is immature. For being the type of person that loves others, he failed to show forgiveness towards his family. Alex had six half siblings from his father's previous marriage. Alex however did not find this out till later. His father had led a double life, he remained with his previous wife while at the same time living with Alex's mom. Alex was hurt by the fact that his father's time love and affection was shared by a whole other family, which his father failed to mention and even tried hiding it. I don't think Alex ever forgave his father. In a way I can understand Alex. My father has done things that when I was younger I didn't think I could forgive him for. This however did me no good. I also understand Alex's longing for people treating each other better. One lesson I have taken away from my life however is that helping out starts out in your own home, with your own family. Forgive those you are close to, and love them. It is important not to give up on the world, and to have faith in people.

If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, I would really encourage you to see it. Alex is an interesting character.

sources
"Into the Wild", by Jon Krakauer
2007 Sean Penn film "Into the Wild"
Wikipedia

Hide's Mad Tea Party

This blog is a mixture of genres. Fiction and non fiction/ history. The layout is as follows. I am sharing a meal with five people of my choosing. It can be anybody, real, fictional, dead or alive. I did a little bit of research, most of this information I have previously read in books and just remember, or I took off Wikipedia. Yes I understand that Wikipedia is not necessarily considered a good source to cite, but given the fact that this is one: my blog, two: a fictional hypothetical instance, and three: most of the stuff that I have quoted or stated I have previously read in reliable primary source, but this isn't school so I don't feel like taking out the books and citing, did enough of that in grad school. Oh yeah fourthly, if you don't believe something than look it up lazy. Having said that, lets move on to the setting.

Just for kicks and giggles, I would imagine myself at the table of the Mad Hatter having tea, surrounded by excellent company including that of the Mad Hatter, Van Gogh, Einstein, Mother Teresa, da Vinci, and Dali. Not sure how the conversation would go down, but that's reserved for another blog . I have composed a short summary of these figures, their accomplishments and some of the qualities I admire in them. I have also come up with a series of questions that I would ask each of these figures if I had the chance. Here we go!

“As we advance in life it becomes more and more difficult, but in fighting the difficulties the inmost strength of the heart is developed.” - Van Gogh

Famously known for having cut off part of his left ear lobe, Van Gogh was a suffering artist. He was afflicted with mental illness. Some posit bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, temporal lobe epilepsy among others. His work makes use of vivid colors and great emotion.

Surprisingly, Van Gogh was a Christian man. He wanted to be a pastor and preach. During his ministry he lived a life of squalor; sharing in the pain of those he preached to, sleeping on straw in a small hut and eating meagerly.

I would like him at my table because not only do we share an aspect of craziness, not to the same extreme, but to some degree. Secondly I see him as a figure who suffered a great deal and his paintings clearly and vividly portray this. Also it is nice to know that if a crazy man such as Van Gogh attempted ministry why can't I. I have been giving ministry some though, and it gives me comfort to know that God uses people of all walks of life. I appreciate his honest attempt at ministry in sharing the hardships of those he preached to. Strong, honest and humble.

If I could ask Van Gogh a question, it would be:

• If today's medication and medical treatments were available to you, would you make use of them, if so, how would it have affected your art, and in what way?

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“"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." - Einstein

Father of modern physics, and author of the theory of general relativity. Thought enemy of the German regime, and found on a magazine; a list of names : “Not yet hanged.” America welcomed Einstein, as he escaped Nazi controlled Germany.

“I made one mistake when I signed the letter to president Roosevelt recommending that an atom bomb be made.” Einstein did not want to risk Hitler having possession of nuclear weapons and opted in the aid of the development of the atomic bomb, also known as the Manhattan Project. Einstein strongly felt however that “war was a disease.”

Einstein was a humanist and supporter of ethical welfare. Einstein received instruction in both the Bible and Talmud. Agnostic in the view of a personal God, he believed in a God closer to that described by the philosopher Spinoza; everything is one substance. “I prefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our intellectual understanding of nature and of our own being."

I would like to dine with Einstein because he was a brilliant man. I would ask him to explain to me the concept of time, and explain his theory of relativity. He seems to be so knowledgeable and imaginative when it comes to how the world works. I would like to hear what he has to say about the cosmos and other dimensions.

If I could ask Eistein one question, it would be:

• Is time travel possible, if so what kind of of machine would have be invented, and would you create one, why or why not?

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“Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work.” Mother Teresa

For over 45 years Mother Teresa ministered to the poor, the sick, the orphaned the dying, the unwanted, those shunned and who had become a burden on society. Mother Teresa is responsible for the founding of 610 missions in 123 countries. Mother Teresa, born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu took on this name after the patron st, of missionaries Therese Lisieux, on the day she took her vows. Since someone in her convent had already taken that name she opted for the Spanish spelling Teresa.

One day she got “the call with in the call”"I was to leave the convent and help the poor while living among them. It was an order. To fail would have been to break the faith." The first year she went out, with nothing, having to beg for food and supplies. Soon enough she caught the attention of Indian officials. Mother Theresa eventually developed houses for the dying, hospices for those who suffered from HIV/AIDS, leprosy , she opened counseling services for children, soup kitchens and schools all over the world.

Mother Teresa's philosophy was that suffering brought you closer to God, she believed that it was a gift to be able to share in Christ's suffering. This philosophy greatly affected the way her missions were administered and therefore was criticized by some. She did not believe in administering pain medication, even to those who were dying and in great pain, nor did she make much use of modern medical care. Her primary mission was to bring people to Christ with humanitarianism as a bi-product.

There have been several criticism raised against her two main critics include Colette Livermore who wrote a book about leaving the missions, and Christopher Hitchens. Even though I was taken by surprise and a bit disturbed with some of the charges made against her, I will not dispel them here but will leave that to the readers discretion. I rather celebrate the good she brought about, and her devotion to sharing in the suffering of others, giving them care, love, and a feeling of being wanted.

I want Mother Teresa at my table, because I would like her to share with me how she found the strength to preach and minister, when for a large part of her life she felt abandoned by God. I would like to learn from her how to push forth a cause when one feels not the love, the care or even believes in what they are pushing forth. Obedience, Mother Teresa thought to be important, the Bible however tells us that it is important we wrestle with God, that we question things, so that we can learn and understand from them. God doesn't mind us doing this as long as we are obedient and follow him for the right reasons. I would like her to give me her thoughts on this.

If I could ask Mother Teresa two questions, it would be:

• How do you turn someone in need of help away with grace?

• How can you preach something so strongly that you sometimes don't believe or have faith in? How do you deal in the struggle with faith?

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“Life is pretty simple: You do some stuff. Most fails. Some works. You do more of what works. If it works big, others quickly copy it. Then you do something else. The trick is the doing something else.”- da Vinci

The archetype of a Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci was a man of many crafts:polymath, painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. Not only that but he was good looking too!

Famously known for having painted the Mona Lisa. Da Vinci is known to be one of the greatest painters of all time. This painting is loved by many because of the elusive smile, divine almost, the delicateness of the brushstrokes leaving a flawless canvas, no over painting or editing of any kind. He also studied the effects of age, and human emotion on the physiology, something he learned to portray in his paintings.

Da Vinci was very imaginative and creative, he filled journals with drawings with detailed descriptions, he was one of the first to draw a fetus. Among many of the things he designed was a helicopter, musical instruments, even a bridge as part of a civil engineering project. One thing he wold do, is purchase caged birds, and then he would set them free.

I would like da Vinci at my table because I feel that his mere presence would be a delight. It would be nice to delight in someone who has divine gifts, someone who imagines, creates, and solves problems with grace.

If I were to ask da Vinci one question, it would be the following:

• What would you consider are the 3 trades that everyone should learn to do?

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“In order to acquire a growing and lasting respect in society, it is a good thing, if you possess great talent, to give, early in your youth, a very hard kick to the right shin of the society that you love. After that, be a snob.” - Dali

Dali: pompous, unpredictable, crazy, creative, excessive, best known for his bizarre surrealistic paintings. He was admired for the use of paranoiac-critical method, in which one accesses the subconscious for the attainment of greater artistic creativity. He was among one of the first to experiment with holography.

Dali often brought attention to himself more through his actions than his works. His flamboyant mustache exemplified his attitude towards life. He partook in unusual and grandiose behavior. There was a time when he showed up to a lecture in a divers suit, “I was plunging deeply into the human mind.”

One of his famous paintings is The Persistence of Memory. Its a painting of soft, melting pocket watches. This painting typically interpreted as a rejection of the notion of time being rigid or deterministic. Another one of his crazy but famous creations is the lobster telephone which is a combination of a a working telephone with a plaster lobster. It was created so that the lobster's genitalia was aligned with the part of the phone in which one would speak into, and hence aligning the lobster's genitalia to the mouth of the person using the phone. The lobster and telephone for Dali, had strong sexual references. Why he chose to combine these two items is not sure, all we know is that one cannot confuse these two objects, only in the mind can this be done, and if possible in the mind then why not in art. This object clearly exemplifies surrealism.

Dali would be welcome at my table because he colored outside the lines.

The question I would ask Dali is:

• Why did you choose a lobster and a telephone as your subjects?

YOUR TURN

After having read the blog, feel free to answer what you think any or all of these figures would respond to the questions I asked them, or more creatively what the other figures at the table think the answer is to the questions being asked. For example: I asked Dali, why he chose a lobster and a telephone for his subject. You could answer: Dali chose the lobster and the telephone because Dali is crazy.... blah blah blah, or two: you can answer: Mother Teresa thinks that Dali chose the lobster and the telephone as subjects because... blah blah blah, have fun be creative, most important, share your answer and post it in the comments section. I apologize in advance if any of this offends anyone, but again this is fictional in a sense and its all happening in my head.