Jeremiah Johnson

I’m a big fan of AMC. They tend to show a lot of movies I like and often enough that I can watch them repeatedly and really digest them. One of the movies they have been showing lately is Jeremiah Johnson starring Robert Redford.For those who haven’t seen it, especially my male readers, make the time and check it out.

What’s great about this movie is that it is a fairly accurate portrayal of an adventurous period in American history. The ‘mountain men’ were extremely important to the settlement of the American West as they blazed trails for later settlers. They also represent one of the last periods of exploration for Americans.

I like the movie because it demonstrates both the allure of the wild and independence, but also shows that ultimately we all need companionship. Jeremiah goes into the mountains seeking solitude and stumbles into a family of his own. His pain and anger when they are taken away reflects how important to him they had become.  It seems that for even the most independent of souls, the love of others is hard to do without.

The life Jeremiah leads in the mountains, hunting and experiencing the outdoors, is one many men today envy. I think that pull towards the wild is built into the DNA of American men. Some of us hear that voice louder than others. We find ourselves at home in the woods and filled with an unsettled feeling after too long in the house. The best we can hope for then is a wife who understands, the time to get out there and a beautiful place to do it. If you have those three things and the counter-balance of a loving family at home, you are a rich man in the opinion of this writer.