"Into the wild"

I have watched a film entitled "Into the Wild" several times. It is based on a true story. As a thoroughbred escapist, I tend to avoid such movies, but you can really ponder on this one. The film is about a young man who has just finished law school. 22-year-old Cristopher, who comes from a well-respected family, seemingly awaits a typical American dream-type of life. A successful career, money, wife, kids, etc. However, to the incredulity of everyone around him, Cristopher donates his life savings to charity and then leaves home in search of an adventure. Although the film ends tragically, alluding to some important things that our hero has forgotten while chasing his windmills, it still largely speaks of ideals that individuals follow through their lives, regardless of the ultimate cost.

Looking at the majority of people around me and who I meet now and then, I often feel like an impostor. Many don't understand my path and life "in the clouds", without some typical job or another and a solid career. Although music and art define me and make my raison d'etre, it is the freedom behind all this. The freedom of living according to your merits and principles, instead of blindly following those imposed by expectations of modern society.

Unfortunately, the main criteria for someone's worth and success are usually money or official recognition and promotions. Those who are ambitious by nature, tend to spend their whole life chasing those. But at the same time they lose their freedom, missing many important things including those that might seem small. Finally, they never really have enough time to truly enjoy all that they have.

Lately, however, I often learn about people who don't want to live their lives following this recipe. Every once in a while, I hear and read of successful people who suddenly decided to go back to the land. For example, an owner of a large company decides to breed donkeys instead or an ambitious businesswoman gives up her career and starts making scented oils.

At first glance, some might find such a move as irrational or even crazy. But when you think about it, it's really easy to understand this. We are living in a world dominated by stress and constant pressure. You must do this, you must do that... Work hard and compete all the time. Constantly buy what you need and what you don't need. Always be among the winners not losers. It's not surprising that some are simply fed up with this. Some never wanted to live their lives like that in the first place. Frankly, almost everything seems better to me than spending your whole day in some office. Not to say that the abovementioned alternatives don't require effort. But the stress level is incomparable. Of course, there are always those who manage to turn everything they do into a successful business. Some people are simply born to make money. In this case, "going back to land and nature" seems a bit like hypocrisy.

People are going even further. Recently, I heard about a relatively young man living in the woods, completely from the natural resources. This even includes water, power, and some other modern necessities. He functions almost entirely without money and with limited contact with the outside world. This is certainly one of the more extreme examples, though I'm sure there are those living even more modestly.

Although I'm not a materialist, I couldn't embrace complete asceticism. First of all, I need things and technology for my creative work. I invest most of my often limited funds into this. But I can (and I have to) without status symbols of the successful hotshots, like a home from the glossy catalog, expensive cars, fine restaurants, travels, premium watches and cellphones, designer clothing, etc. The biggest problem is the increasing cost of basic necessities. I believe this is one of the reasons that drive certain people "into the wild". The other might be trying to escape the media full of bad news and sensationalism, reminding us of what hollow world we're living in.

Anyhow, this is a big step that requires many skills and a lot of self-assurance. Of course, things are much simpler if you have a family or a significant other who will follow and support you on this journey. But judging from what I've learned, it is indeed possible to escape from a stressful way of life while satisfying some basic and not-so-basic needs. After all, happy is not the one who has much, but the one who doesn't need much.