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What is a quarter-life crisis?

The most extreme example I can think of would be that of Chris McCandless, who, as a college graduate in his early twenties, gave his life savings to charity and disappeared into the Alaskan wilderness on an extreme search for himself. He was found dead by a hunting party a few months later. Of course, there's a lot more to the story than that, but that's pretty much it in a nutshell.

There has been a bestselling book written about McCandless and, more recently, a major motion picture based on the book. When I saw the movie and read the book it, like most good stories, made me think of my own life. I am a contemporary of McCandless-forty-one years old as I write this; had he lived McCandless would be about to turn forty-and I can't help but think where he would be today had he been able to make it out of the wild.

There is nothing inspiring about McCandless' story-only cause for sadness and reflection, spiked with a little wisdom-the kind of wisdom a guru might give his followers. But not many people were listening to McCandless before he went off on his trek. I don't think he was on a suicide mission. Had he lived long enough he would be entering his mid-life crisis today. What would that entail? He'd probably be a professor or teacher somewhere, maybe a writer or a musician. Maybe buy a little red sports car, but I doubt it. He might do the same thing he did at twenty-four.
In the end Chris' McCandless was a guru, but the world doesn't have much use for twenty-four year old guru's. We just drive them into the wild, literally and figuratively. We like our guru's old and wizened, with touches of gray and a lifetime of wrinkles to go with their platitudes.

A person's brain continues to develop well past adolescence and into their mid-twenties, when it is, finally, fully formed. This causes a lot of seeking and searching for young adults, most of them trying to escape something, just like McCandless was.
When I look back on my own life at that time I can see a lot of parallels between his story and mine and I feel great empathy for his struggle. Chris McCandless was wise beyond his years but still had a lot to learn.
If I could I would trade the bestselling book and the hit movie for the chance to encounter a middle-aged McCandless on the street today and let him sit me down and tell me his own story.
Even though I'm a year-and-a-half older, I would look at him as a guru because I think he was on to something and I could use a little wisdom right now as I'm starting-for the first time ever-to look at little red sports cars with envy instead of contempt.
So, consider this my testimony for the quarter-lifers: The crisis is inevitable. No matter what you do, make sure it goes from a quarter, to mid, to full. And THEN let other people tell your story.
We need more young gurus growing older, so stay alive with your passion.

Learn more about this author, Blake Guthrie.
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