A few days ago, I was on a video call with my friend Jarmahn where we spoke about the nuances of life, present challenges, and hope for the future. At the tail end of our conversation, we talked about movies we found interesting, I recommended 3 Idiots, a story about two friends searching for their long-lost companion and Jarmahn recommended Into the Wild, a fascinating true-life story about Christoper McCandless, a graduate who gives away all his possessions and sets out to live alone in the Alaskan wilderness.
Into the Wild made me reflect on a suppressed longing for an isolated escape but less extreme of course. Before moving to Canada from Nigeria, I wanted to live in New Zealand for the beautiful scenery and to be far away from the familiar and anyone connected to it. To discover myself outside of their gaze and expectations, to see who I was unattached, without a mask.
This movie reminded me of these dormant feelings. A desire to disappear, to be unreachable, to be in my bubble. On the flip side, it told a precautionary tale of the result of such isolation. While I may start happy, loneliness will surely set in eventually. What happens when I go too far? When there is no way back to reconnect to the communities or people that care about me?
“Happiness is only real when shared”
