February 20, 2025 • 9 mins
What does success really mean? In this episode, we explore the true story behind Into the Wild and how it challenges society’s definition of achievement. Join us as we discuss Christopher McCandless’s journey, the powerful message of Eddie Vedder’s song Society, and why English is not a requirement for success—it’s simply a tool. If you're an English learner, this episode will help you think deeply about language, life goals, and personal freedom, all while improving your listening skills. Tune in and discover how English can support your dreams—on your own terms.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
Hey, everyone, it's Matt. I hope you're doing well and
you know today I want to talk about something What
does success mean to you? Really think about it? What
does success mean to you? And I think many people
think that success is about money, about fame, about power,
(00:29):
about all these different things. But in reality, success is
something that you and I we each define for ourselves.
And I want to talk a little bit about the
Christopher mckinnless story and the movie and the book Into
the Wild that tells a true story a young man
(00:51):
who rejected society's expectations of life on his own terms.
His journey reminds us like English, that it's not a
requirement for success, but learning English is a tool to
help us achieve our personal goals. Have you ever thought
(01:13):
of it like that? Are you enjoying the process of
learning English? Because if you're not enjoying the process, polygots
tell us that if you're not enjoying the process, then
you're not going to really absorb the language the way
(01:33):
that you should. So what does success mean to you?
How do you define it? Now? I want to talk
a little bit here about the story of Chris McCandless,
who was a smart young man. He graduated from a
top college with honors. But instead of following the traditional
path of getting a job making money all this stuff,
(01:58):
McCandless gave away all his possessions and he set out
on a path, set out on a journey across the
country alone and by himself. He wanted to live free,
without the pressures of modern society. Now, I think Chris
mccannles's ultimate goal was to survive in the Alaskan wilderness,
(02:21):
completely independent from the world. But along the way, along
this journey of life, Christopher mccannless met many different people
who shaped his journey, and they each had their own
views on happiness and success. But Christopher mccannless's story is
(02:43):
not just inspiring, it's also tragic. His desire for freedom
led into incredible experiences, there's no doubt, but in the
end it also cost Christopher his life. But this story
makes us think, what do we truly need to be happy?
(03:04):
What does success mean? What does it mean to you?
And I think that some people believe you know I've
taught literally I looked it up this morning. Over the
time I've been doing this, two thousand, two hundred and
sixty three students and some people believe, I think most
(03:28):
of them believe that learning English is necessary to be successful.
I don't think it is. And if you look at
something like Into the Wild, the story of Christopher mckinless
teaches us that success is personal. English is not a
(03:49):
measure of your intelligence or your worth, no matter what
your society wherever you are tells you. It's a simple
tool like a backpack or a map or whatever that's
helping you along the ultimate journey. Now, for example, Christopher
(04:12):
McCanless didn't measure success by wealth or career achievements. He
wanted to experience life in a way that felt meaningful
to Christopher. And I say that if your goal is
to travel, to start a business, to connect with people
around the world, English can help you do that. But
(04:34):
if your definition of success does not require English, I
think that's okay too. Look, you don't need a master's
degree in English to be successful. Instead, I want you
to ask yourself this question, how can English help me
achieve my dreams? How can English help me achieve my dreams? Now?
(04:58):
I want you to use English in a way that
benefits you, rather than seeing it is just something that
you have to perfect a requirement for life now in
this movie, one of the most powerful songs from the
soundtrack in this movie. You can download this you can
(05:20):
find it online is by Eddie Vetter. It's called Society
and I think the lyrics really reflect the belief that
modern life often pressures us to want more, more money,
more possessions, more status. People are controlled by their society.
(05:40):
And one of the lyrics in this thing here says, society,
you crazy breed. I hope you're not lonely without me.
These words from Eddie Vedder here they suggest that sometimes
societies define success doesn't really match our version of success.
(06:05):
Many people they feel pressured to live a certain way,
to live up to a certain standard. But happiness comes
from choosing your own path. You know, I remember the
story of Rancho. You'll remember Rancho was in the movie
The Three Idiots from Bollywood. Choose your own path and
(06:32):
think of English as a tool, not a measure. And
I want you to reflect on these questions. What does
success mean to you? Is it different from what society
is telling you. The next question I want you to
(06:54):
think about is how do you think English can help
you achieve all of your goals in life? If you
go back and you watch the movie, or you read
the book, or you read some of the articles about
Christopher mccanles's I want you to ask yourself, if Christopher
made the right choice in this story, why or why not?
(07:17):
Do you think that the song by Eddie Vedder Society,
what do you think is trying to tell us about
life in general? So my final thoughts here are the
most important lessons that we can learn from into the Wild.
I think if you had to narrow it down to
just one, it's that we each define success for ourselves.
(07:42):
English is not something that you need to succeed. It's
something you can use if it helps you on your journey.
Don't learn English because you feel like you have to
learn it. Learn it because it helps you get to
the place you want to go and the person that
you need to be. If you do that, English is
(08:07):
going to help you so much more than what you think.
And it's really that simple. So I want you to
stop and think, what is the definition of success for you?
What defines your personal success? And if you can put
(08:27):
an answer to that question and really begin enjoying the
journey of English, you're farther ahead than most I'm Matt.
Thanks for joining me. Please check out my website if
you want to see the notes to this it's mattpierceblog
dot com. I look forward to talking with you. Thanks
(08:49):
a lot, take care,
Hey, everyone, it's Matt. I hope you're doing well and
you know today I want to talk about something What
does success mean to you? Really think about it? What
does success mean to you? And I think many people
think that success is about money, about fame, about power,
(00:29):
about all these different things. But in reality, success is
something that you and I we each define for ourselves.
And I want to talk a little bit about the
Christopher mckinnless story and the movie and the book Into
the Wild that tells a true story a young man
(00:51):
who rejected society's expectations of life on his own terms.
His journey reminds us like English, that it's not a
requirement for success, but learning English is a tool to
help us achieve our personal goals. Have you ever thought
(01:13):
of it like that? Are you enjoying the process of
learning English? Because if you're not enjoying the process, polygots
tell us that if you're not enjoying the process, then
you're not going to really absorb the language the way
(01:33):
that you should. So what does success mean to you?
How do you define it? Now? I want to talk
a little bit here about the story of Chris McCandless,
who was a smart young man. He graduated from a
top college with honors. But instead of following the traditional
path of getting a job making money all this stuff,
(01:58):
McCandless gave away all his possessions and he set out
on a path, set out on a journey across the
country alone and by himself. He wanted to live free,
without the pressures of modern society. Now, I think Chris
mccannles's ultimate goal was to survive in the Alaskan wilderness,
(02:21):
completely independent from the world. But along the way, along
this journey of life, Christopher mccannless met many different people
who shaped his journey, and they each had their own
views on happiness and success. But Christopher mccannless's story is
(02:43):
not just inspiring, it's also tragic. His desire for freedom
led into incredible experiences, there's no doubt, but in the
end it also cost Christopher his life. But this story
makes us think, what do we truly need to be happy?
(03:04):
What does success mean? What does it mean to you?
And I think that some people believe you know I've
taught literally I looked it up this morning. Over the
time I've been doing this, two thousand, two hundred and
sixty three students and some people believe, I think most
(03:28):
of them believe that learning English is necessary to be successful.
I don't think it is. And if you look at
something like Into the Wild, the story of Christopher mckinless
teaches us that success is personal. English is not a
(03:49):
measure of your intelligence or your worth, no matter what
your society wherever you are tells you. It's a simple
tool like a backpack or a map or whatever that's
helping you along the ultimate journey. Now, for example, Christopher
(04:12):
McCanless didn't measure success by wealth or career achievements. He
wanted to experience life in a way that felt meaningful
to Christopher. And I say that if your goal is
to travel, to start a business, to connect with people
around the world, English can help you do that. But
(04:34):
if your definition of success does not require English, I
think that's okay too. Look, you don't need a master's
degree in English to be successful. Instead, I want you
to ask yourself this question, how can English help me
achieve my dreams? How can English help me achieve my dreams? Now?
(04:58):
I want you to use English in a way that
benefits you, rather than seeing it is just something that
you have to perfect a requirement for life now in
this movie, one of the most powerful songs from the
soundtrack in this movie. You can download this you can
(05:20):
find it online is by Eddie Vetter. It's called Society
and I think the lyrics really reflect the belief that
modern life often pressures us to want more, more money,
more possessions, more status. People are controlled by their society.
(05:40):
And one of the lyrics in this thing here says, society,
you crazy breed. I hope you're not lonely without me.
These words from Eddie Vedder here they suggest that sometimes
societies define success doesn't really match our version of success.
(06:05):
Many people they feel pressured to live a certain way,
to live up to a certain standard. But happiness comes
from choosing your own path. You know, I remember the
story of Rancho. You'll remember Rancho was in the movie
The Three Idiots from Bollywood. Choose your own path and
(06:32):
think of English as a tool, not a measure. And
I want you to reflect on these questions. What does
success mean to you? Is it different from what society
is telling you. The next question I want you to
(06:54):
think about is how do you think English can help
you achieve all of your goals in life? If you
go back and you watch the movie, or you read
the book, or you read some of the articles about
Christopher mccanles's I want you to ask yourself, if Christopher
made the right choice in this story, why or why not?
(07:17):
Do you think that the song by Eddie Vedder Society,
what do you think is trying to tell us about
life in general? So my final thoughts here are the
most important lessons that we can learn from into the Wild.
I think if you had to narrow it down to
just one, it's that we each define success for ourselves.
(07:42):
English is not something that you need to succeed. It's
something you can use if it helps you on your journey.
Don't learn English because you feel like you have to
learn it. Learn it because it helps you get to
the place you want to go and the person that
you need to be. If you do that, English is
(08:07):
going to help you so much more than what you think.
And it's really that simple. So I want you to
stop and think, what is the definition of success for you?
What defines your personal success? And if you can put
(08:27):
an answer to that question and really begin enjoying the
journey of English, you're farther ahead than most I'm Matt.
Thanks for joining me. Please check out my website if
you want to see the notes to this it's mattpierceblog
dot com. I look forward to talking with you. Thanks
(08:49):
a lot, take care,
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