We all leave our mark

I feel like there are a lot of kids in my grade that are like Chris McCandless, they want to leave everything they know behind and begin a life that rings true to them. They want to go where life takes them and experience as much as they can. The thing about most of those people is that they are ready to drop everyone, become completely independent, and leave their known world. They feel like the people they leave behind won’t care, or won’t matter, there will be no attachments for them. They need to realize that every interaction humans have with each other leaves an imprint, a ten minute conversation can be enough for someone to remember you for the rest of their life. Part of living and experiencing life is the people. Those who travel will meet so many people in their lives, tell so many different stories, listen to so many different stories. They will swap pieces of themselves with other people just through a few words. Humans can’t just disappear, no matter what we will always leave our mark.

There were many lives that Chris McCandless changed. Ron Franz, an old man who housed Chris for a little bit, wanted to adopt him. Wayne Westerberg, a man who Chris worked for, says that his life was changed by Alex and that he still thinks about him often.   He was just some kid from El Segundo, California that decided to leave behind his life and live one that quenched his thirst for something more. He went on his own terms and lived life however it was calling him. I don’t think that Chris had any intention of leaving such a lasting impression on all of those peoples lives, yet he did. His death resonated throughout many people and haunted them. They remembered him and cared about him, they created bonds with him, even if they were just one way. It was something that was just happened as a result of his interaction with other human beings. I feel like this can be applicable to anyone, no matter how socially impaired or how free and independent they are.

No one in this world will go without that one person that cares about them. Chris McCandless is a perfect example of that, once he left his family and lived a life where no one really knew him, a life where he didn’t stay around long enough to get too connected, he still got connected. He came into so many peoples lives and so many people came into his, he left marks on other peoples lives and they left marks on his. Once two humans interact on the level that Chris did with most people I feel like they have given a tiny piece of themselves to each other, a piece that will stay with that other person forever. Human beings are meant to interact, they are meant to become connected. We can’t be a lone tree, we are all trees whose roots are intertwined, but strong. We may seem like we stand alone but there are still those roots, keeping us standing,it’s how we have adapted, it’s how we survive.