So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of SECURITY, CONFORMITY and CONSERVATISM, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind. But in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit of a man than a secure future...."(Krakauer, 58). To be a transcendentalist you have to be unsure, at all times. You have to completely trust your gut and believe that you know you are doing the right thing. Chris McCandless, the protagonist of Into the Wild did just that. He trusted his gut when he believed that he would find himself by changing his whole entire planned out life by society’s standards. He is the ideal of a transcendentalist.