Is the Best Car No Car?

I’ve always been a sucker for cars ever since I was a kid. For me, the car was a symbol (and practical means) of freedom. Going where I wanted to go, based on my own schedule, while also having pride in my vehicle.

I still love cars and car design.

Why? To me, car design is sculpture. Luxury cars and sports cars are sculpture that happen to be able to take you from point A to point B.

Furthermore, cars are an aspirational thing; pushing human limits and design to the maximum.

Also as a random note; I love the marketing and branding copy/text they use to get you hyped and amped up. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Lamborghini seem to have the best marketing language to advertise their cars.

But of course buying these cars won’t make you sexier, stronger, or more innovative. But still; they are interesting icons of aspiration towards greatness and strength.

#nocar lifestyle

Traveling and living abroad, I don’t own my own car– but I often have this urge and desire to purchase these luxury sports cars.

I recently had an epiphany:

What if instead of desiring a luxury sports car to make me feel stronger, sexier, and more badass– I could just sculpt my own body and mindstyle to become stronger, meaner, and leaner?

For example, instead of seeking carbon fiber parts for my racecar, I seek to reduce the weight of my camera, devices, and personal belongings. Also shedding superfluous body fat from my frame.

Instead of desiring muscular design from the car, desire more muscles from my own body!

Instead of desiring a “meaner” car design, make myself look more mean and lean physically (less body fat, more muscle mass).

Instead of seeking a car with more horsepower and speed, I seek to become stronger at powerlifting (Deadlift, Squats, Dumbell press), while being more productive creatively and artistically?

Downsides of car ownership

  1. Maintenance costs and hassle/headaches (oil change, fixing parts, tune ups, time in garage).
  2. Insurance costs and gas money costs.
  3. Hassle of parking (the upside of Uber/Lyft; no worrying about parking).
  4. Less stress of people denting your car. Also less hassle from police, speeding tickets, thieves, etc.

Upsides of not owning a car

  1. You end up walking more, thus shooting more photos and street photos.
  2. More money in the pocket for travel and other interesting experiences.
  3. Less stress of figuring out where to park your car when you’re traveling or out of the country.
  4. More freedom: Freedom to leave whenever. Also, the upside of modern technology and Uber to take you anywhere you need to go.
  5. If you really need a car, you can always rent one for super cheap.

Simplify your life

I wonder; if we no longer desired to own a car (in fact, we prefer NOT owning a car), wouldn’t this simplify our lives for the better?

  1. More money
  2. Less stress
  3. Less hassle
  4. More flexibility
  5. More focus on ourselves and our own body
  6. More walking (beneficial to our photography, health, and life)

So it seems my conclusion so far is simple:

Perhaps the best car is no car.

Live light.

ERIC