Throughout life we are taught that achievement and success is essential to our happiness. Most Americans presume that achievement and success is presenting scholarliness and attaining good jobs; Many Americans are very focused on their careers. It seems to me that many Americans tend to be very focused on their careers for the same outcome, money. The value of money is very emphasized in the American culture, which is why we tend to be focused on our jobs and careers. However, Chris McCandless did not see money as a valuable possession. In fact, before going on his fatal journey to Alaska, he donated his entire college fund to a charity called OXFAM America, which was a charity dedicated to fighting hunger (Krakauer, 20). Ironically, Chris’s cause of death came from starvation. Chris’s willingness to give away his entire college fund before his journey exemplifies the differences in what he values vs. what Americans value. Chris values happiness also, however his happiness was not reliant on money, his happiness was reliant on the feeling of independence, which is also something American’s value. Chris’s urge to feel independent just happened to be more extreme than
Throughout life we are taught that achievement and success is essential to our happiness. Most Americans presume that achievement and success is presenting scholarliness and attaining good jobs; Many Americans are very focused on their careers. It seems to me that many Americans tend to be very focused on their careers for the same outcome, money. The value of money is very emphasized in the American culture, which is why we tend to be focused on our jobs and careers. However, Chris McCandless did not see money as a valuable possession. In fact, before going on his fatal journey to Alaska, he donated his entire college fund to a charity called OXFAM America, which was a charity dedicated to fighting hunger (Krakauer, 20). Ironically, Chris’s cause of death came from starvation. Chris’s willingness to give away his entire college fund before his journey exemplifies the differences in what he values vs. what Americans value. Chris values happiness also, however his happiness was not reliant on money, his happiness was reliant on the feeling of independence, which is also something American’s value. Chris’s urge to feel independent just happened to be more extreme than