Chris Mccandless How To Fit In Society

Since the majority of Americans live within communities that follow most societal norms seen here in the US, I think this results in people trying to be something they truly aren't. Trying to “fit in” or follow new trends drains people's character and individuality right out of them. While society teaches us how to fit in with modern structure and ultimately be “successful”, I agree with Chris McCandless that a structured society poses many risks for being an individual such as forcing you to hide your true self and depriving you of your passions that ultimately shape your distinct identity. Here at Berkshire, there are plenty of social norms that students and teachers alike all follow to “fit in” with the community around them. This causes

Chris thinks the benefits to society are that the people around you are teaching you how to fit in, which in turn means not being yourself. At Berkshire, coming in as a freshman I wasn’t used to living on my own and was new to the school. The “benefits” of having people around me were that they taught me what the norms were at the school and what to do versus what not to do. As kids we go to older people for advice. These adults or teenagers mainly taught me many things including how to act at boarding school, what to wear, and always have a plan for the future and always know what you want to do. Chris would teach the opposite. Chris left straight out of college for his adventure into the wild without a hard plan. His only idea was to one day live off the land in Alaska, which was a vague idea at the time. Chris went with the flow of things seeing where it would take him, and that's what individuality teaches you. “Nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun” (58). Having Krakauer say, “there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon,” he is trying to say an Individual who lets his mind wander and stops “time” is the one who finds great joy in our world. Modern schools are teaching us that we should all try to be doctors or businessmen that sit at desks all day hating their jobs. What Chris is teaching us is to do what you want as long as it makes you happy and free. Through society comes structure and time, but through being an individual and learning about yourself comes passions and freedom to