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Alex living deliberately (Chapters 1-4) 

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Alex living deliberately (Chapters 1-4) 

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After leaving El Golfo de Santa Clara it is described how " He [Alex] had not seen or talked to another soul in thirty six days. For that entire period he subsisted on nothing by five pounds of rice and what marine life he could pull from the sea" (Krakauer 36).
What does this show ?
- This depicts Alex deliberately or intentionally isolating himself and carrying only what he must. To most people, surviving on rice for this period of time would be farthest from ideal, but Alex feels that this is the way to live. He rejects the modern world in place for isolation and a new, vivid experience. He deliberately lives fundamentally, without the influence of society. He displays this idea of deliberate living as a correlation with the most basic form of human living. No globalized or modern influence. No relationship with parental authority. Isolation.

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My thoughts, ideas, and feelings surrounding our deliberate existence and desires to live along with those of Chris McCandless and John Krakauer's best selling novel - Into The Wild.
By: Christian Sanchez

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The Power of Intention - Colleen McCulla

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The Power of Intention - Colleen McCulla

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The speaker of this TEDx Talk - Colleen McCulla had graduated with a degree in art and soon after stopped doing art for many years. After this extended break, she began art again and started making a collage every single day. She describes how she " lets what ever wants to come out, come out. " I think that her goal was to say that we often get bogged down in an intricate process to be perfect and be reassured, but what we really need to do is go out and create as she did. She set her intentions on not being perfect, but on being creative and inspirational.

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The power of intention | Colleen McCulla | TEDxDayton

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Pink: My personal thoughts
Green: Thoughts from ITW
Purple: Thoughts from outside sources
Yellow/ blue: Introduction, final posts

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Do we as humans truly live with intention ?

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Do we as humans truly live with intention ?

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I think this is a very complex, broad question with a multitude of thoughts. However, I think that as humans, no matter how diluted one may seem, we all do live with intention. Many people feel the need to mask themselves to fit into the " normality " of society. It leads to us not displaying our true selves when in front of an audience. But I truly do think that we do not necessarily want to have to disguise ourselves but the external pressures are too much to not do so. In doing this, some would say that one's intention of living becomes mismatched or even eradicated, but I think that it is only like a marker going over a piece of paper- a thin layer of color covering a broad white paper. In other words, our disguise in only a small glow of light or popularity that is hiding our actual self. We DO live with intention because we DO want to be loved and we DO want to be accepted. It is that society seems to sometimes not allow this. Our intentions to intentionally live with intentions are always existent no matter how big the jig saw puzzle seems. Humans are good people and want to live to their full extent.

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Chris ventures " Into the Wild " (Chapters 1-4) 

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Chris ventures " Into the Wild " (Chapters 1-4) 

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In chapter one as Jim Gallien drives Alex to Anchorage, he asks Alex if his family are aware of his whereabouts and would know if he ran into trouble. Alex responded with, " I'm absolutely positive, ... I won't run into anything I can't deal with on my own " (Krakauer 6).
What does this show ?
-  I think this encounter between Jim and Alex displays how Alex feels very strongly about this pursuit of isolation. He is ready to be by himself - he wants to, and he is positive he can deal with any extenuating circumstances.

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How does Alex live with intention ? (Chapters 1-4) 

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How does Alex live with intention ? (Chapters 1-4) 

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After graduating college, Alex prepares for his trek and describes how relieved he was to be done with college. " The trip was to be an odyssey in the fullest sense of the word, an epic journey that would change everything " ... " At long last he was unencumbered, emancipated from the stifling world of his parents and peers, a world of abstraction and security and material excess, a world in which he felt grievously cut off from the raw throb of existence " (Krakauer 22).
What does this show ?
-- I think that this gives us as the audience, a beginning into the glimpse of Alex's motives and intentions behind his journey. He describes how he is tired of feeling excluded from the modern world, and the grand amount of materialism taking people over. He intends to live with intention by eliminating these distractions. He also talks about the literature that largely inspired him to begin living this life, " Captivated by the writing of Leo Tolstoy, McCandless particularly admired how the great novelist had forsaken a life of wealth and privilege to wander among the destitute " (Author's Note). He will no longer live in this controlled world of sadness and anxiety, he will be free to live how he wants - as he wants.

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lI think that overall, living with intention is living with authenticity and allowing yourself to be happy for yourself. We are drawn to certain things in life ( people, activities, places) and we must let these external realities set our intentions. It is not like every second of our life we have to be doing something meaningful because that would simply be draining. However, the idea of living a purposeful life must guide the larger continuities and events that shape who we become. To me personally,  living with intention/ deliberately means that I am always trying to actively live not through others, but through myself. It is very easy to get caught up in the success of others or stuff that other people are experiencing, and yes we have to be aware of this. However, living for myself will allow me to focus more on what I want out of life and my drives and purposes for living this life. The things that I like - music, nature, sports, - these are the things that truly allow me to deliberately live with passion and accomplish the things that I want to. I must live for myself.

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In the very last chapter of the book, in his last writing ever, Chris says " I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD. GOODBYE AND MAY GOD BLESS ALL!" (Krakauer 199). Before this, Chris new that he was on the brink of death but he continued to try to live by searching for berries or getting the signal of someone with a note. He knew that these efforts were not working and began to accept the fact that death was in the near future. I think that in this moment, Chris was truly happy. I think that he truly lived out his intentions of life. He desperately wanted to go and soul search in the wilderness and get rid of the distractions and anger of the modern globalized world. And he did so. He had lived in the wild for 112 days. This was his paradise and he enjoyed every minute on that bus. His letters particularly emulate this as he describes his lush surrounding and the absence of people. I do believe that he was okay to die because he knew that he would die in the wilderness. The one place where he felt where he could deliberately live and be accepted.

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How does Alex live with intention ? (Chapters 9-11)

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How does Alex live with intention ? (Chapters 9-11)

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In Chapter 11, we begin to deeply explore Chris' past and childhood. From sometimes skewed family dynamics to academic glory, Chris' upbringing was interesting to say the least. When Walt ( Chris' father) describes an altercation Chris got into with his physics teacher, he says " Chris thought  [ the lab rule ] was a stupid rule and decided to ignore it. He did his lab reports, but not in the correct format, so the teacher gave him an F " (Krakauer 109). Going through this part of the book and this quote specifically, I think that I truly understood Chris' personality and perception of the world in a deeper manner. While this situation seems only like a rebellious teenager that wants to argue with their father and their teacher, I think that it shows Chris' resilience. Yes, he ignored the rules of his teacher which he should have followed, but he showed that he is not going to worry about what others want of him. He is going to take a task and put it into his own words and world. This aspect of not caring of others views and sticking to your own feelings truly allowed Chris to live with his own intention. He faced backlash when telling people of his desire to venture into the wild. In college, he was thought of as weird. He argued and got angry with his parents. But he did not let any obstacle stop him from living HIS life how HE wanted to. He made his decisions because he learned that he has the ability to do so. This simple squabble with physics demonstrated his true characteristic. He would not be told what to do and he would live how he wanted to. Chris would live a deliberate life by not allowing the societal views and the perceptions of others to inflict distress amongst him.

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JACK LONDON - TO BUILD A FIRE VIDEO ( with Tejasv) !

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JACK LONDON - TO BUILD A FIRE VIDEO ( with Tejasv) !

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( wear headphones )

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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After reading the excerpt of Emerson's " Nature ",  a part of the text that stood out to me was, " In the woods, is perpetual youth " (5). I think this idea of the woods and nature as a whole harboring eternal youth is very captivating. Emerson essentially wants to say that the setting of the woods brings of the emotions, desires, and implications to remain in a state of youth. It is a comment on the idea of nature being a beautiful haven of infinite ideas and perceptions.
What does this say about deliberate living ?
I think that often as a society we long to return to our youthful years. You often hear elderly people describing their desires to be young and lively again. In a sense, nature and the woods allows for people to be young again. While surrounded by nature, you are surrounded by greenery and landscape that has most likely existed your whole lifetime. For you to return to the most basic form of life and a setting of peace, a sense of youthfulness becomes eager to emerge. When you become surrounded by this nature the concept of deliberate living becomes present as nature is the most exact or deliberate form of life. Deliberate living further correlates with nature because the natural setting allows you and your mind to lean to the idea of fundamental living as you are surrounded by the fundamentals of the earth. You learn to deliberately exist and be present just as the ocean, sun, trees, and vines have. Your deliberate existence becomes a feeling of a continued desire to live, to live deliberately.

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How do others live with intention ? ( Chapters 5-8 )

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How do others live with intention ? ( Chapters 5-8 )

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- I think that as humans, we have an innate desire to live on our own terms and make our own decisions. We want to live as we please and we set our intentions based on what we WANT to do. It is as simple as: we often resent things or don't want to do something because it diverges from what we feel we want to do.
So is this a bad thing ?
-  No, generally speaking I think that to pursue our own desire leads our inner self to succeed and instill this sense of accomplishment. However, we often don't consider our personal intention as something that affects others. When our intentions negatively affects others, are they really our intentions ? Chris did not intend to destroy his sister's world and probably did not intend to completely upset and anger his parents, yet he still did. So should others live with their intention despite how it affects others ? Should our intention change for the sake of others ?
Chris' take
-  In a letter from Alex to Ron, Alex says, " Don't hesitate or allow yourself to make excuses, just get out and do it " (Krakauer 58). Towards the end of this letter Alex strongly encourages Ron to get out on the road, go somewhere far, and start living. He speaks of the adventure and value of living by yourself. I think that this letter comments on how others live with intention because for many, living with intention is fundamentally living with only the must haves. To intentionally live to many is to live without the influence of the modern world. The modern world dilutes the truth of the reality of living and truth itself. Many see that to live with intention, we must return to the most basic roots and discover the nature of ourselves and our purpose to live. Especially to Chris, deliberately living is isolation and the absence of the external world. Throughout the book, he denies objects and refutes ideas ideas that stem from modern society. In doing so, he develops his own intentions and purposes to live and allows himself to pursue his innate desires. Furthermore, this idea of nature correlating with intentional living definitely becomes present.
- *this idea of nature is discussed further in this blog.

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One of my all time favorite books is Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz. It tells the story of a young Jewish boy living in Poland when the Nazis take over the country. Yanek is tossed from camp to camp with the constant threat of death looming over him. He has to make a decision to live, live at any cost. To give up was to let the Nazis win. Yanek being in the concentration camps forced him to adopt a new perspective of living - one of basic survival. At any cost he must survive. He must follow the rules, obey the commands, and do whatever it takes to survive. This shows how our desires and intentions can quickly change based on where we are. Our environment or setting dictates what we intend to do with our presence. With Yanek being in an environment of danger he has to deliberately work to survive. The influences of the outside world, Yanek's desires and dreams, - they must not be thought of. Although these dreams and desires do not necessarily disappear, they are not prominent subjects. Intention must change to fit the external environment. If our intentions are constantly the same, how will we adjust ourselves when we are put into a new environment. In other words, we must become adaptable to be able to truly live with intention. Our deliberate intentions must not always be deliberate and should be able to accommodate the breaks and bends of life.

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a I believe that fundamentally, we live with intention through three principles:

1.  We gravitate towards what instills joy.

2. Our intentions are not always deliberate.

3. Consistency is key to a fulfilling life.

What does this mean ?

Looking at principle 1, the idea of living with happiness is seen. Naturally, we desire to be happy - to be filled with everlasting joy and success. This is why as humans, the ideas, people, settings, and objects that exert a force of joy are those that we gravitate towards. This is essentially the building block for how we live with intention. This is because how will we live with intention or with deliberateness if this intention preserves no sense of joy. Personally, I live through principle one through my music, dogs, and running because these things are what make me feel jovial. As I have gravitated towards these different things, I have begun to develop compassion for the world and compassion for myself. Developing this compassion allows for us to truly understand our intentions and what we intend to do with our lives.

Examining principle two develops an argument that explains how although we often intend to do certain things, these things are not always deliberate. This almost seems contradicting as it is perceived that our intentions are what we intend to do, right? However, this is when principal one collides with principal two. Often we do not realize that our seemingly perfect intentions have no base of joy or prosperity. When we have no basis of happiness our intentions, rather we know it or not, become not deliberate. Our lives might seem glamorous - we know what we want, how we want, when we want it, and we live with intentions of accomplishing these dreams, yet when we don't find a sense of joy within the structure of our intentions, they are no longer deliberate. Personally, I have gone through times in my life where I did not focus on me - I was more worried about other's thoughts and feelings, and less worried about  my own. At the time, I thought I was living for myself, but I realized that I was putting others before myself, which sounds selfish, but to a certain degree you must put yourself first. When I realized that I was living for other people, I began to intend to live different and develop goals and stories for and about myself. I did not realize that my intentions were not deliberate until I began to re-examen, sort the puzzle, and decide that I was my priority.

Principle three displays an idea we often hear in our lives. Our teachers tell us to be consistent with our work. Musicians tell us to be consistent with practice. Our parents tell us to be consistent with chores and housework. It can all be overwhelming - to hear that we must consistently do something in order to accomplish our endeavors and reach a personal high. That something must occur every single day if we want to be anything in life. But this idea of consistency truly holds value. It is not necessarily practicing the violin for 8 hours a day, or studying math for a boring 60 minutes. It is instead, consistently reinforcing your own values, morals, and goals. To continue telling yourself why you are happy, what developed that happiness, and what you can continue to do to remain happy. This consistency of confidence, positivity, and reinforcement leads to the greatest fulfillment, a life of meaning, desire, and true intention. For me, principle three has forced me to write down my goals and desires. I consistently look at these goals when I feel a sense of doubt or fear and reevaluate where I am. I also try to consistently do what brings me joy so that I live with true intention. This shows how the three principles truly intertwine and complement each other. As I continue to be consistent, I continue to be happy and retain my sense of joy. A continued consistency is a desired virtue of strength, admiration, and ultimate joy.

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After watching this video, I began to contemplate everything surrounding color and how we perceive it. The idea, mentioned in the video, that when looking at a strawberry one person might say it is red while the other person might also say its red even though they are different colors. This is because they have learned to identify this shade as " red. " I think it is very interesting that the way I perceive color is not how anyone else does. Everyone has different vision and a different perspective on the shades and tones of life.
What do these strawberries have to do with intentional living ?
Well, what I took away from these strawberries is the idea that we all view the world in a different manner. It is not to say that the world is diluted for some as our perception can only be described as our perception. We are all of different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences, these aspects of life influence our perception of the world - how we carry ourselves, how we view others, what we think of society. It is this perception that allows us to develop our own intention. Our view of emotion, intelligence, dependence, and color, they culminate to derive a personal statement of wonder that shapes to be our intention. It is because of the ideas of color and strawberries that we are a world of idea and thought. It is these that set our life on a reign of deliberate living and soul- searching. What would we be without strawberries...