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Learning about my father's second family
After learning about my father's second family, I began pushing them away. This event caused me to start questioning the norms I had conformed to and society as a whole -
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Attending college and reading the works of transcendentalists
After the previous event, I began to indulge myself in works by transcendentalist authors, such as: Jack London, Henry David Thoreau, and Leo Tolstoy. "Walden" by Thoreau inspired me to be self-reliant and live on my own. "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London inspired me to live free from the constraints of society and safety. "Family Happiness" by Leo Tolstoy inspired by to not conform to the expectations of society and material desires. -
Graduating
I graduated from Emory and I donated my savings to charity. I decided to explore the world, leaving behind my earthly and material constraints. -
Abandoning my material possessions
I abandoned my Datsun after it stopped working, buried the rest of my possessions, and burned all my money. This event showed I was dedicated to finding myself. -
Meeting Jan Burres and Bob
I met Jan Burres and Bob when I was scouting for edible berries on the road. They lived a similar lifestyle to me. They lived freely and were self-reliant. They offered to help me which I accepted. While I stayed with them I learned that it was possible to live a fulfilling and happy life without conforming to society. -
Working a normal job
I lived a conventional life and worked at a McDonald's in Bullhead City for 2 months. Although I wasn't practicing self-reliance, I still defied the authority at McDonald's. During my time in Bullhead, I learned that I could never conform to society because I longed for freedom. -
Meeting Jan Burres and Bob again
I didn't enjoy working at the McDonald's and I missed the freedom, so I left Bullhead City and went to the Slabs. I enjoyed my time at the Slabs because the people there shared the values of self-reliance, freedom, non-conformity, and adventure. Living at the Slabs also reinforced the idea of living a good life without the constraints of society. -
Meeting you (Ron Franz)
When we met, we quickly became friends. You taught me skills, such as leatherworking, and we developed a father-son relationship, which was important since I had a bad relationship with my real father. We trusted each other and you encouraged me to live out my dream and find myself, which I appreciated. I also told you about my plan to go to Alaska and you listened to my rants about freedom and adventure. -
My letter to you (Ron Franz)
Throughout my journey so far, I've learned a lot about myself through the relationships I formed with other people and learned a lot while out on my own. The people around me have also probably discovered something about themselves. I hope to convince you to find yourself through self-reliance and freedom. Conformity and safety will not ease the soul and won't let you discover yourself. You need to adventure out into the wild and put yourself in difficult situations to understand one's self.