into the wild

i don't remember this quote catching my attention when i read "into the wild" several years ago, but it most definitely did when i watched the movie during my pregnancy as i consider the strength i will need to summon during my labor....

"And I know how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong but to feel strong, to measure yourself at least once, to find yourself at least once in the most ancient of human conditions, facing blind, deaf stone alone, with nothing to help you but your own hands and your own head..."
— Bear Meat by Primo Levi