Chris is a rebel first because of anger at his parents, people he accuses of trying to buy his love with material goods. He rejects their values and tries to live as simply as possible. He writes:
I'm going to have to be real careful not to accept any gifts from them in the future because they will think they have bought my respect.
Second, Chris rebels against the materialism of U.S. culture because he believes a simpler life is a more joyful and fulfilling life, writing: "The freedom and simple beauty of it is just too good to pass up." Later, he writes that he has found "the great triumphant joy of living to the fullest extent."
Finally, he believes the core of life lies in embracing adventure, not living a monotonous middle-class existence. As he writes to his friend Ron Franz"
The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an ever-changing horizon ...
Chris's reading of Thoreau and Tolstoy, his strong will, his desire to live fully and authentically and his rebellion against his parents' values led him to adopt a counter-cultural lifestyle, one, he said, that filled him with great joy.
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