Carfree, carefree

Evidence is growing that people who have low levels of satisfaction tend to place a high personal emphasis on material acquisition and wealth. The car is one of our most conspicuous acquisitions. But far from delivering freedom, the car can be an oppressor. 

Carless is Carefree

Owning a car means never being truly free: you are a slave to the finance company that loaned you the money to buy it. And a slave to the laws that regulate your progress – not to mention having to park it. Even when you find a space for it, there’s the worry of what’s happening to it. When you get to the pub, can you have a drink? Or are you the “designated driver”?  Tough luck.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind 

Without a car you are less interesting to the surveillance state, which is ever more likely to be tracking your movements; you are financially freer because you are less likely to be in debt; you are more free from worry; you own your own time and can choose what to do with it.When you are travelling, and someone else is driving – whether it’s a  train or a bus or a taxi – you can do other things: like reading, listening to music, or just looking out of the window. You can be free from the mind-numbing tedium of the tarmac and the traffic jam. 

Think, Don’t Drive

Give up the car. Give up the worry.