10 books

TP #16 Reading about this young man and how he died made me sad. Strange thought it may seem, I hadn't given his family and/or friends any real thought until now. That is not to say I am unfeeling. No, my feelings were more about how this young man died and the circumstances in which he met his death.

How sad, how very, very sad to die alone without another human being to be with or near you in your last moments, How tragic to take your last breaths knowing you will die. Death by starvation must be one of the wrost ways to die TP, it is neither slow nor painless. And THAT is what grieves me. Not the romantic ideals or the "forging an untamed wilderness" - bah they mean little.

I feel I should add something to the above, but am at a loss to know what.

"How sad, how very, very sad to die alone without another human being to be with or near you in your last moments, How tragic to take your last breaths knowing you will die. Death by starvation must be one of the wrost ways to die TP, it is neither slow nor painless. And THAT is what grieves me. Not the romantic ideals or the "forging an untamed wilderness" - bah they mean little. "
I don't see anything 'tragic' about his death. 'Tragic' is when a child is murdered. McCandless was an educated adult, and I would consider his death a suicide, which is why I feel badly for his family.

Certainly anybody with half a brain would realize that deliberately dropping yourself into a situation for which a) you had no food or equipment and b) had zero understanding of the environment, would have only one conclusion. If he had broken his neck or drowned while ferrying half a ton of food to his bus, I'd feel differently.
I spent 8 years living in the bush in the Yukon, not far from where this story was set. His actions are no different than if he had decided to go play in traffic on a Los Angeles freeway at rush hour. He made a choice, and death was the certain consequence. I see no reason for getting maudlin over it.