The edge is closer than we think

musicismylife78

In a ton of the press for into the wild, ed was asked about his reaction to chris's decision to abandon his life and take off. He was asked if he could relate. And ed's response in many of the articles was this

"It's amazing how quickly you can break out, though. You can. It's right there at all times. The edge is closer than we think. You can put yourself out there in a few hours"

What exactly does ed mean? He seems to be suggesting we all can do what chris did, but on a small scale? maybe? what exactly does he mean?

2-feign-reluctance

radiohead33 wrote:

In a ton of the press for into the wild, ed was asked about his reaction to chris's decision to abandon his life and take off. He was asked if he could relate. And ed's response in many of the articles was this

"It's amazing how quickly you can break out, though. You can. It's right there at all times. The edge is closer than we think. You can put yourself out there in a few hours"

What exactly does ed mean? He seems to be suggesting we all can do what chris did, but on a small scale? maybe? what exactly does he mean?

i'd say you're right on track there. i have the same interpretation. however, i would have to be a bit more of a boy scout and do a bit more planning. i don't think being prepared for a journey into the wild takes away from the actual journey.

locked

2-feign-reluctance wrote:

i'd say you're right on track there. i have the same interpretation. however, i would have to be a bit more of a boy scout and do a bit more planning. i don't think being prepared for a journey into the wild takes away from the actual journey.

I'll state it matter of factly..

There is nothing heroic about Chris and his needless death.

I can't see how anyone would want to glorify such an waste of humanity...

I'm sorry, what did he prove by dying too young ..

with a bridge he could have acccessed .5 miles away (if he had thought to bring a map)..

How is that something to admire?

I don't get it...

Its the same vibe I get from people who glorify Kurt Cobain's suicide leaving his daughter fatherless..

florence151

"The edge is closer than we think."

I think EV was saying that you can physically reach the borders of civilization in a few hours.

"The edge" also has an allegorical meaning which I interpret as experiencing a life changing event or making a decision to change our life. What we perceive as our everyday, normal existence can be altered very quickly.

The lesson I took from the movie was, IMHO, that we need to make adequate preparations to accomplish change successfully.

musicismylife78

locked wrote:

I'll state it matter of factly..

There is nothing heroic about Chris and his needless death.

I can't see how anyone would want to glorify such an waste of humanity...

I'm sorry, what did he prove by dying too young ..

with a bridge he could have acccessed .5 miles away (if he had thought to bring a map)..

How is that something to admire?

I don't get it...

Its the same vibe I get from people who glorify Kurt Cobain's suicide leaving his daughter fatherless..

I came out of that movie feeling like I never felt before or since. I have never been so changed by a movie. I literally floated out of the theater. I connected with Chris in a way no other movie has even come close to.

And I think I wasnt the only one. This movie didnt rake in blockbuster numbers at the box office, and was never going to. It wasnt in the cards. It is a movie, however that will and does change peoples lives. Chris lived life to the fullest. Thats the message. He took risks. He lived fully every second. While other people dream of changing their lives, and chucking it all away and living in the wild, chris had the guts to live his ideals and morals. Ed and Sean both, as well as Emile hirsch said they admired Chris. Ed and Sean were hoping the movie made people go on their own adventures. So obviously, this film wasnt for you, pal, or it was for you and you just didnt connect. For me, its in my top three movies of all time list. It was everything I could have asked for. A life changing movie.

And I think ultimately thats his legacy. Thats why he is a hero to me and to others like ed and sean. He made mistakes sure, in the end it was clear he wanted to move back to society, he didnt want to live that life anymore and wanted to go back to that hippie girl or who knows what else. But the point is, his life is an inspiration. To me, into the wild is the most inspirational movie ever made.

Do I wish he was still alive? Sure, but i think he would be thrilled his life was an inspiration to others. The question remains, and I ask myself this everyday, do you want to live the mundane, boring, house, kids, picket fence, 2.5 kids life, or do you want to truely live? To me its not really up for debate, how about to you?

I also think I could relate because I actually, in a small manner however, felt and feel the same way as chris. I actually took a greyhound cross country and lived at a commune for a brief time, and spent a great deal of time wondering if I should go back and live there permanently. many of the proclamations chris made in the movie, I felt and still feel. I dont think many people did or do what i chose to do. Try out, however briefly, a real alternative life. In the end I decided to not live in a commune, because, i felt the same as chris, I need to be around people. So for me, into the wild was intensely personal. And seeing it in the middle of my deliberations of considering whether to go back to the commune or not, may subconsciously have played a role in my turning down the commune.

musicismylife78

florence151 wrote:

"The edge is closer than we think."

I think EV was saying that you can physically reach the borders of civilization in a few hours.

"The edge" also has an allegorical meaning which I interpret as experiencing a life changing event or making a decision to change our life. What we perceive as our everyday, normal existence can be altered very quickly.

The lesson I took from the movie was, IMHO, that we need to make adequate preparations to accomplish change successfully.

while each is entitled to take from art an infinite number of purposes and points and meanings, ed and sean have explicitly stated the film was about portraying a rite of passage and a person who lived life to the fullest. They intended people to be changed by this movie. Ultimately the movie has two types of people, people who feel Chris is a hero, and those who think he was a fool. Krakauer understood chris because as he points out in his book he felt the same way as a youth. And both sean and ed understood the actions of chris.

Ultimately, you walk away from the movie, blown away, mouth and jaw stuck to the floor and feeling like a new chapter in your life has begun, or you feel it was a wasted life, that chris threw his life away and you feel sad.

My parents and I saw the same exact movie. They felt sad and felt it was a cautionary movie. I saw it and as I said, I floated out of the theater.

angelm20

florence151 wrote:

"The edge is closer than we think."

I think EV was saying that you can physically reach the borders of civilization in a few hours.
The lesson I took from the movie was, IMHO, that we need to make adequate preparations to accomplish change successfully.

Yes~ I trust this concept is exactly on point. AND~ its soooo true!

I loved the movie and could relate like crazy. I was the female him, once upon a time. Though I took a sheet of acid,or 2 and disapeared in the Ohio valley for a lil awhile. I just wanted to be left alone.
I was given a car and never drove it~Oh and then this stupid Toyota mini van thingy that looked like a Disney bus.....anyways
....I felt him big time...I got mad at him for not fishing!! For not being prepared ~ bring seeds etc etc...I kept grumbling about it for awhile. It hit me hard I guess.....I cried to see the real him.....and miss the real me.

eyedclaar

locked wrote:

I'll state it matter of factly..

There is nothing heroic about Chris and his needless death.

I can't see how anyone would want to glorify such an waste of humanity...

I'm sorry, what did he prove by dying too young ..

with a bridge he could have acccessed .5 miles away (if he had thought to bring a map)..

How is that something to admire?

I don't get it...

..

You are right about one thing - you don't get it.

blondieblue227

florence151 wrote:

"The edge" also has an allegorical meaning which I interpret as experiencing a life changing event or making a decision to change our life. What we perceive as our everyday, normal existence can be altered very quickly.

i agree

chris did it on his own terms, which is what was so cool to me.
oh well he messed up.
.......but he messed up on his own terms, nobody elses.

Gmoney

locked wrote:

I'll state it matter of factly..

There is nothing heroic about Chris and his needless death.

I can't see how anyone would want to glorify such an waste of humanity...

I'm sorry, what did he prove by dying too young ..

with a bridge he could have acccessed .5 miles away (if he had thought to bring a map)..

How is that something to admire?

I don't get it...

Its the same vibe I get from people who glorify Kurt Cobain's suicide leaving his daughter fatherless..

I find chris to be quite heroic. Not because he died, that was not his intention, but rather because he left the normal life. He took the ultimate risk. While most can't decide what to have for dinner, he even left up to chance where he would wake every next morning. I admire him, am inspired by him, envy his spirit, and wish to live like him at least at some point in my life. Once again, not because he died, but because he lived.

Oh and Radiohead33, have you read the book?

Murderers.

Chris was an amazing person. He has influenced me in many ways. He did what he had to do. Maybe he did it in the wrong ways, by not contacting his sister which was very selfish along with other things. But the thing is, he realised his mistakes when it was too late. I am sure he loved his sister very dearly, but we all make mistakes right? Chris was a very spectacular person. He has moved me in ways I didn't think possible. I could talk about him all night. He learnt the most important lessons of life; happiness is only real when shared.

I prefer the film to the book, because I feel Emile played Chris wonderfully. Plus the soundtrack is amazing. I want to talk more, but I'm kinda exhausted.

smile05

into the wild is just a bus journey away

Strangest Tribe

locked wrote:

I'll state it matter of factly..

There is nothing heroic about Chris and his needless death.

I can't see how anyone would want to glorify such an waste of humanity...

I'm sorry, what did he prove by dying too young ..

with a bridge he could have acccessed .5 miles away (if he had thought to bring a map)..

How is that something to admire?

I don't get it...

Its the same vibe I get from people who glorify Kurt Cobain's suicide leaving his daughter fatherless..

Well then ....you just don't get it

no biggie

part of the psychology of it all is...

{there's absolutely nothing wrong with being selfish}

Bathgate66

Cropdust Captain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzDZycAfdv4
At about the 6:20 mark Ed starts talking about this.

musicismylife78

Gmoney wrote:

I find chris to be quite heroic. Not because he died, that was not his intention, but rather because he left the normal life. He took the ultimate risk. While most can't decide what to have for dinner, he even left up to chance where he would wake every next morning. I admire him, am inspired by him, envy his spirit, and wish to live like him at least at some point in my life. Once again, not because he died, but because he lived.

Oh and Radiohead33, have you read the book?

i did read the book, oddly a week before I went on my commune odyssey, and while at the commune heard about ed's solo album and the movie on the way.

Both were amazing, book and movie. But ultimately I would say the movie hit me more.

iamica

I think Ed meant that it really isn't that hard to change our lives if we really think about it. Most of us are boxed in by fear, by love of money/security/whatever. He could have also meant that it isn't that hard to escape civilization every once in awhile and get out into nature, and most people don't do it that often, or at all.
I think Chris' story is a tragedy, but I don't think he wasted his life. I think he lived his life the way he wanted to, took risks, and embraced an alternative lifestyle. It sucks that he never contacted his family again, but that was his life and his choice.

ovechkin8

U2 SUCKS and the edge is a hack

RedMosquito02

eyedclaar wrote:

You are right about one thing - you don't get it.

Exactly.

What he/she said...

dustinpardue

radiohead33 wrote:

In a ton of the press for into the wild, ed was asked about his reaction to chris's decision to abandon his life and take off. He was asked if he could relate. And ed's response in many of the articles was this

"It's amazing how quickly you can break out, though. You can. It's right there at all times. The edge is closer than we think. You can put yourself out there in a few hours"

What exactly does ed mean? He seems to be suggesting we all can do what chris did, but on a small scale? maybe? what exactly does he mean?

I feel what Ed is saying totally. Not a day goes by............

Hawkshore

http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/vedder%20saved%20from%20drowning%20by%20fishermen


PEARL JAM star EDDIE VEDDER was rescued from a drowning death when Hawaiian fishermen spotted the rocker bobbing about in the waves.

The ALIVE singer was paddling an outrigger canoe between the islands of Oahu and Molokai with local singer/songwriter JACK JOHNSON's dad when the vessel overturned in rough seas, leaving Vedder trying to stay afloat miles away from land.

Johnson tells Rolling Stone magazine, "It was a big-wave day and they lost him in the swells. There was no way we could get back to him."

Johnson reveals Vedder was only lost at sea for a few minutes before island fishermen rescued him.

LiteTheMatch

Maybe he's talking about an entheogenic experience

IWasBittenNY

radiohead33 wrote:

The question remains, and I ask myself this everyday, do you want to live the mundane, boring, house, kids, picket fence, 2.5 kids life, or do you want to truely live? To me its not really up for debate, how about to you?

I live in a Cape Cod style 1 1/2 story house in the suburbs of NYC, have two beautiful children, a great wife, and once I get together the money I plan on putting a white picket fence up in the front yard.

Dude, please don't use generalizations/stereotypes to make your point. From your tone it seems that you would look upon people/families like me/mine with disdain and that alternatively pisses me off and make me kind of sad. If you came walking past my house on your personal journey should I look at you with similar disdain?

As long as people aren't hurting or truly offending others with their choice of lifestyle I'm cool.

I thought the movie was great and your review hit on a lot of key points, that is until you attacked others who "are living on the grid." I think the last scene of him running to hug his parents said a great deal.

Peace.