What does it mean to truly live? I have this debate with my friends, some take on a very scientific, literal, approach, as in, having a pulse or not being brain dead. On the flip side, some argue that living means taking charge of one’s life, trying new things, having as many experiences as possible. I take a very “whatever makes you happy” view. I don’t have any set definitions of what living is, because I don’t feel that I’ve discovered what truly makes me feel like I’m living yet, but I feel like I have an idea of what I’d like. So for me, for now, if you’re happy with a nine-to-five and coming home to watch TV, or if you’re a person who’s always on the go, maybe living on a catamaran, so be it.
In my mind, though, I think that while we’re here, we should at least take an opportunity to expand our experiences. I’ve often felt that I have a stick up my butt (the other word GOT CENSORED), and that by overthinking and letting my irrational fears get to me -the ultimate one being getting arrested-, I really haven’t done that much. Because of that, I’ve decided to say yes more, and just go along with wherever the day will take me (without being a total idiot of course). Lately, I’ve tried to see things as not as deep as I may make them out to be, because at the end of the day, we’re all getting one step closer to the grave, and similarly, all of humanity does too, whether or not its billions of years in the future.
I’ve shaped my new outlook based on people like Anthony Bourdain (my GOAT, RIP) and the original Top Gear UK trio (Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May) and all the wild things they’ve done. Bourdain’s show Parts Unkown followed him as he ate at the most humble of Waffle Houses, to Michelin Star Restaurants, having a plate of maggot fried rice, to enjoying Chartreuse of Quail and everything in between. He became my idol for his open-minded approach to life and culture and his seemingly fearless attitude towards adventure. But I’ll stop going on about his awesomeness as it was that constant media attention and idolization that drove him to his last days in 2018. But more about the three wise chaps, Clarkson, Hammond, and May. For the uninitiated (shame on you, go watch Top Gear) these three hosted one of the most popular automotive television shows, nay, one of the most popular TV shows in the world, and still continue to see success to this day. I remember when I was about 11, I had an admittedly morbid, but maybe bittersweet thought, that one day, when they approach the end of their lives, they’ll hopefully look back on all the wild things they’ve done, places they’ve been, cars they’ve driven, and often crashed (Richard), food they’ve eaten, and overall adventures they’d had together.
In essence, I think that while we’re here, why not go do the most random of sidequests, even as you age into your sixties? But at the end of the day, if sitting at home, petting your cat as it curls up next to you, and decompressing with a movie, or your politically charged news station, is your cup of tea, so be it.
Personally, though, I hope that one day I get enough money, or the opportunity to travel across the globe, and live wild up to my maybe forties, maybe sixties Then settle down, have a dope collection of cars (Ford GT40 calling my name), an amazing sound system, and my own little gizmos that I use for my hobbies and live without a care in the world. To someday live by f*** you (John Goodman, The Gambler).
