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That's a narrow and incorrect definition of brilliance IMO.
One can concurrently be brilliant and reckless/foolish.
I have an old book that profiles mathematicians from 1800's and 1900's who have made major contributions to their field of study. All of them were obviously brilliant, yet the anecdotes of their personal lives frequently made me wonder how they could be so smart and yet also "stupid" in practical matters of life.
If your poor decision-making costs you your life, I'd say you're excluded from the "brilliant" category, sorry.
Quote:
McCandless was highly intelligent, dunno about "brilliant".
Intelligent, yes - but lacking in knowledge and skills.
This reminds me of my eldest son, who is in his early mid thirties. When he was about 30, he visited us in Texas from Guam, where he was diving off cliffs every day into the ocean (and where he broke his back but I digress), and tramping around in jungle undergrowth, etc. He saw our suburban house and yard and he said "No offense, Mom, but honestly, this seems like hell to me." Well, it's not hell to us. We enjoy refinishing furniture, keeping the grass healthy, walking in the neighborhood rather than in the jungle, etc. He doesn't. And that's OK. Different bites for different likes and all that.
Hey, we're super excited because Monday we are getting two toilets delivered and installed! I mean, they are replacement toilets for two low toilets but hey...excitement!
So far I haven't broken my back, but I also don't climb up on ladders - LOL.
Yes, my bff broke her back and her foot skydiving in 2 separate incidents. It didn't make her want to stop! Even just hanging around, they had to add elements of risk into everything, like they'd play soccer with rolls of toilet paper that they set on fire I hung out there at the drop zone with her when I went to visit her (in Florida) and they'd bug me to try it (skydiving) myself, but I have no desire nor need to jump out of a plane (while they seemed to have a need to do things like that).
Even as teens she was a daredevil, she loved it if we were in some kid's Camaro and they wanted to get it past 100...while I was on the floor in the back seat demanding to be let out, lol. She calmed down a lot after she had kids though and now embraces suburban life.
We're going to a new garden center tomorrow that I discovered on errands yesterday, and that's about as exciting as I need, lol.
Everyone is ignorant. I think he wanted to survive a year out there just to do it. An internal challenge. He was doing okay, but ate a wrong berry and the river rose on him, so he was sunk. Kind of cool he wrote a goodbye knowing he wasn't going to make it. He took a chance and failed. Chances are taken daily and some prove to be deadly. You and I are also ignorant in some subjects. Everyone is.
Of course I'm ignorant on some subjects. Acknowledging that it is so helps inform my decision-making. I like to sail - I'm a good sailor, in all modesty. But I don't (yet) possess the skill and knowledge needed for long-distance passage-making, and so I bloody well don't set off for Cape Horn on a whim. People who do so die. Sometimes risking the life of rescuers in the process. And quite often breaking a perfectly good sailboat, too.
By pretty much every workable measure - no, he wasn't. He died from ignorance.
And the quality of the decisions we make determines whether we're brilliant or not.
He died more than most people his age.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gg
Everyone is ignorant. I think he wanted to survive a year out there just to do it. An internal challenge. He was doing okay, but ate a wrong berry and the river rose on him, so he was sunk. Kind of cool he wrote a goodbye knowing he wasn't going to make it. He took a chance and failed. Chances are taken daily and some prove to be deadly. You and I are also ignorant in some subjects. Everyone is.
No, he died from arrogance. He did not do even the most basic research into what he was doing. If he had, he have known what seasons that river was cross-able and when it was not and planned accordingly. He'd known that in that area of Alaska food from the land is sparse and hard to come by. He'd known that even if you shoot an 800lb moose, unless you have the equipment and supplies to properly preserve the meat, 790lbs of that moose is going to rot before you can eat it. He very much died of arrogance.
I would have moved it to the parking lot. Save everyone the hassle of finding it. Put it on display and the "non hikers" can look at it, take pics and then get back in their car and return to wherever they came from.
Real hikers will walk past it on their way to their hike.
"And charge people a dollar and a half just to see 'em"....
Actually he was very brilliant we all make poor decisions in life, he lived more than most people do we spend the day surfing the internet and think having a life is watching Tv on their days off.
I disagree:
This was his final note:
Attention Possible Visitors. S.O.S. I need your help. I am injured, near death, and too weak to hike out. I am all alone, this is no joke. In the name of God, please remain to save me. I am out collecting berries close by and shall return this evening. Thank you, Chris McCandless. August?[20]
Kid was 67 lbs and survived on 9 lbs of rice in his last 2 months. He was unprepared to survive in that environment (not brilliant) and paid the price with his life. There have been some articles written that suggest he was suffering from early adult schizophrenia.
Whatever the case was, he died at 24 and certainly didn't live more than most people!
Everyone is ignorant. I think he wanted to survive a year out there just to do it. An internal challenge. He was doing okay, but ate a wrong berry and the river rose on him, so he was sunk. Kind of cool he wrote a goodbye knowing he wasn't going to make it. He took a chance and failed. Chances are taken daily and some prove to be deadly. You and I are also ignorant in some subjects. Everyone is.
He starved to death, the berry aspect was only in the movie and has since been proven inaccurate.
If he started with the right supplies, maybe started earlier in the season he would have gotten try it and survive. 400 ft from where he was there was a hand operated tram to cross the river. The river and the berries didn't kill him, ignorance did.
Removing the Bus did nothing.
Now it is an even greater challenge and adventure to find the spot where the bus was.
It is the location, not the bus that is the adventure.
Yes, my bff broke her back and her foot skydiving in 2 separate incidents. It didn't make her want to stop! Even just hanging around, they had to add elements of risk into everything, like they'd play soccer with rolls of toilet paper that they set on fire I hung out there at the drop zone with her when I went to visit her (in Florida) and they'd bug me to try it (skydiving) myself, but I have no desire nor need to jump out of a plane (while they seemed to have a need to do things like that).
Even as teens she was a daredevil, she loved it if we were in some kid's Camaro and they wanted to get it past 100...while I was on the floor in the back seat demanding to be let out, lol. She calmed down a lot after she had kids though and now embraces suburban life.
We're going to a new garden center tomorrow that I discovered on errands yesterday, and that's about as exciting as I need, lol.
LOL right on. I get all excited about how good the fence looks since we stained it! Every single time I drive up I think "That just looks so great!"
I am not criticizing others' lifestyles but I do think it sucks when others get caught in their vortex.
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I hung out there at the drop zone with her when I went to visit her (in Florida) and they'd bug me to try it (skydiving) myself, but I have no desire nor need to jump out of a plane (while they seemed to have a need to do things like that). 
