I feel the same way as Allie, but I'm not pointing fingers at my home country, but modern society in general. Things are bad all over. I also feel the same way as he does about religion, but my solution is to avoid the religious, not to try to change or hurt them. I think that Allie made the same mistake that people have been making since the beginning of time, when they decide they just can't take it all any longer. They "leave civilization", but refuse to let go of their rage. They cannot accept that abandoning a materialistic culture requires a change of mind as well as a change of location, and that one must assimilate while giving up all of the trappings of the life you left behind instead of trying to re-create them. It also involves respecting the locals and accepting their wisdom.
I will leave my home about twenty years from now. When I do that, I will be going to a very remote area in Thailand. I will be just a poor English teacher and will have to leave behind all of my materialistic pleasure. I will have to be polite and respectful to the Thai people and do things their way, because that is their place and their ways work. Allie's greatest failing was his refusal to abide by "When in Rome, do as the Romans." He saw himself as separate and apart and, worst of all, superior. He also apparently never learned that a genius often lacks life skills. A genius can build a refrigeration unit, but might not think to build a cooler with which a single person could travel very quickly carrying a smallish block of ice (maybe a basket of sawdust or something insulated somehow). A genius should not necessarily be trusted or "followed" by others because a genius is often prone to a lack of mental discipline, especially tunnel vision. Because of that, I often refrain from sharing, and discourage others from listening to me unless it's an academic setting and I am speaking within my own area of expertise.
I found it amazing that Allie survived as long as he did, and it was only by the grace and goodwill of the native occupants of his new home, who seemed to be mostly going out of their way to tolerate him for the sake of his wife and children. The whole film was a tragedy, his attitude and behavior made me sick to my stomach. His settlement was just as destructive as the missionary settlement, perhaps even more so. It's only human, and it's soul-enriching, to strive to be strong and courageous and get back to your roots, but really...anyone who thinks that will be easy is going to win the Darwin Award before they figure out how to do it right.
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