Eustace Conway - The Last American Man

For half and hour I walked around the apartment in silence. I just finished reading the Last American Man. A beautiful portrait of a Eustace Conway, a man who spent his life trying to convince people to live outside, along with nature. In his youth, he hiked the Appaliachian Trail, climbed mountains in New Zealand, and set two equestrian world records on going across America, once by horseback, once by buggy. The man then went to buy land and started an apprenticeship system in the North Carolina mountains tryin to teach people how to live off the land, as people did for millions of years.

For years, the youth of America feeling stranded from the conformity of America sought his guidance. This took a toll on Eustace. He now gives horseback lessons topay for the care of his horses.

Eustace is an idealist. He figured out a way of life that was perfect for him, away from the errs of society. He felt indebted though to convince people a truer way of life.

The struggle of Eustace is the example of the main struggle we all face in our life. We must find our own place of freedom. The more we feel indebted to convince people how to find it. When you have millions of people trying to voncince people how to live, yyou find conflict. The only way, as Eurstace himself admitted near the end of the book, is through politics. Government can be good. It will depend on honest people staying honest as they find temptation to corrupt the system as they gain power. Men are not angels. And unless men like Eustace who are devout in their belief of our natural freedoms, can avoid the temptations of power and corruption, the system will continue to be flawed.

That’s the kind of man I’d like to be. Challenge me with temptation for what I feel I’m after, can only be found through influence. I will succeed only by a proven number of people moved by what I have to say.

I can’t avoid this balance. I’ve found my happy place. It’s just a matter of figuring out how to tell people about it. There’s power in politics. Along with all of the tests that challenge the righteous man.