Why Buy a Car to Work a Job?
“Why do I have to buy a car to get a job I will have to work to keep the car?” It was, as usual, an insightful question from my daughter, Lily. She’s a master at questioning the status quo. I’ve never been a fan of the automobile-centric design of our cities or the lack of safe and affordable public transportation. She was mulling this over as we returned from looking at five different used cars for sale by private owners. None of them was a good fit, and it was discouraging. But beneath her question was a deeper one. What’s the point of all the commotion that fills our days?
I sometimes wonder the same thing. Sitting on my comfortable couch after a day of work, I hear the whoosh of the air conditioner. Cool air hits my face. I’m grateful. But I think, “There goes another handful of dollars.”
I’ve sometimes reduced adult life to a simple formula: “Work hard to pay for comfort that enables you to forget how hard you work and ultimately to escape it before you die.” I think others fall into that pessimistic trap as well. And I’ve bought the lie that popular culture offers—that work, for the brave, should always be an intrinsically joyful vehicle for purpose and self-actualization. Maybe for some people it’s not a lie, but it’s not a sure thing, ever. For most of us (including myself), work remains work. Not our purpose, and not inherently pleasant. If our work aligns with our natural gifts, it will enable moments of flow where time speeds up, and it will give us joyful victories from time to time. But much of the time, work will be a duty necessary to serve the larger aims of our lives.
For me, those aims include paying for air conditioning (which is helpful during our Florida summers), and the basic necessities of food, shelter, and transportation. But those are its superficial rewards. Having lucrative work to do has created a home where Jody raised three children and homeschooled them, and now it lets us travel to see them. It provides evenings of conversation and laughter as Lily, Jody, and I talk above the sound of the latest TV show, criticize its writing and acting, and annoy anyone (mostly Jody) who wants to take it seriously. These are the things that matter, without which my life would truly be a rat race or daily grind.
The price of growing up and achieving independence is worth the cost, but that is only because it has made room in my life for much more important things. To answer Lily’s question: “Buy the car to work the job so you can create space in your life for the things you value most to have room to grow.” As a blast of cool air hits my face and I hear the hum of the air conditioner, I smile. Yes, it’s definitely worth the cost.
