Most people either know a song by Pearl Jam or have heard of them. You’ve probably heard the song “Alive” by them. Earlier this week I was listening to “Society” which isn’t by Pearl Jam as a band, but by Eddie Vedder, their lead vocalist. The song was written for his first solo album for the movie Into The Wild. When Sean Penn asked Eddie Vedder to do the soundtrack, he agreed on the spot, before he knew anything about the film.
This movie is based on a true story. After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandoned his possessions, gave his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters who shape his life.
The first verse is:
“It's a mystery to me
We have a greed with which we have agreed
And you think you have to want more than you need
Until you have it all, you won't be free.
Society, you're a crazy breed
I hope you're not lonely without me
When you want more than you have, you think you need
And when you think more than you want, your thoughts begin to bleed
I think I need to find a bigger place
Cause when you have more than you think, you need more space”
Here he is saying that we think to be happy, and to be what we want to be, we have to have it all. That second lyric is gold. We have a greed that we as society have agreed upon. It is that if you don’t have what the person next to you has or better, then you should not happy.
I mean I wish I could sit here and tell you that I am satisfied with only the possessions I have at this exact moment. I could say that right now, but I would be lying. There is always something on my mind that I “need.” I always think, “if I just get this one thing how great would my life be?” It always goes through my head. And after getting it, guess what? Yep, you’re right. It is still the same life as before. Eddie then goes on to talk about how society is a crazy breed and how he hopes society is not lonely without him.
Christopher was literally so fed up with everything that was happening around him and realized that none of these earthly possessions and material things mattered to him. He was sick of wanting more and then after getting more, needing more space. It was a monotonous life. After hearing his story, I thought he was crazy and was out of his mind. I mean he hitchhiked to Alaska for goodness sake and got rid of almost all of his possessions other than a few survival needs. He even burned some of his money.
I just hope that I can continue to remember this story and the impact he has made on people. I pray that I can be content with my possessions and my situations. There is always a part of me that wants to do what he did and impact others, and then there is that earthly side of me that wants the coolest new thing out. I guess to get through life I have to find a happy medium. I mean I do not think my family would be to happy with me going off to Alaska by myself. So I guess for now I will continue on in this life and try to be more grateful for the little things.
