The Journey Is the Destination

This is one of those movies like "Into the Wild" where people are going to view it and get inspiration from stupidity.

"Into the Wild" was about an idealistic young man who underestimated nature and ultimately met his fate because his ideals didn't exactly mesh well with reality.

"The Journey is the Destination" is pretty much the same, only rather than underestimating nature, he underestimated people and, in specifically, the people that he was working to help.

In one case it was man's disrespect for nature. In this case it was man's disrespect for the dangers presented by his fellow man. He might have been there as a photographer, he might have been championing Africa's cause...but in the end what killed him was the assumption that because he was on their side they would be on his.

In the end it led to his death. He failed to realize that, despite trying to help the people, their hate ran deep enough to kill. Helping them only made him a target.

But, nontheless, it's going to serve to inspire people that mistakenly believe that you have to teach men not to...kill, rape, insert idealistic woke diatribe...rather than take the necessary precautions to protect yourself.

So, what we have is a tragic story that people are going to draw the wrong inspiration from.

The first half was like watching an afternoon school special of spoiled expats living the vida loca in Africa, taking road trips, eating rats, and making fun of the indigineous people. The second half could have used a steady cam. I'm sure he was a great guy, but what about the other three that died with him?

As far as the main character goes, wealthy spoiled British kids who think they are rock stars, are nothing new. As far as movie goes, typical anti-USA propaganda designed by Brits who neglect to recall centuries of raping and killing their way across the world. Most problems in Africa stem from British colonialism. Of course it is trendy now to blame the USA for the worlds problems. As someone who knew soliders who died in Somalia, trying to restore peace, this movie is an insult and tribute to rich tourists who fancy themselves heros.

In the film, Dan Eldon references that there are alternative ways to get an education. Let's start that initiative by playing this film in all high school history classes across the world. Not only is there a history lesson here about the civil war that was happening in Somalia in 1993, there are lessons on passion, foreign policy, and the power of media to name a few. Watching this film in 2018 I couldn't help but see striking parallels in our society today. In the film, the UN forces are fighting enemies of hunger, disease, corruption and apartheid. In the United States alone we continue to fight racial injustice, the leading cause of death is heart disease, and although hunger isn't our problem, obesity is. The greatest lesson of all in the film is Dan's belief that people are not born hating other people. Rather, that trait is stemmed from the conditions of their environment and it is forced on them when their ignorance runs out. Also that the media has the power to change the way you think and impact political action. While this is an amazing power, it also is a good reminder, especially for youth, that the media has biases and it is important to know how to sort through quality news sources. All in all, an inspiring and eye-opening story that needs to be shared.

An interesting depiction of a talented photographer who risked all for the thrill of the hunt. Interestingly told and more than graphic.