Driving as Therapy

Only to be understood backwards…

In our journey through the enigma of existence, we become acutely aware of its unrelenting rhythm, an intricate dance of endeavors — both futile and fruitful — aimed at taming our anxieties and clarifying our existential confusions, often unconsciously. Our love lives can derail in dramatic fashion; professional ambitions can crumble abruptly; and our health can fall victim to vindictive, incurable illnesses. Confronted with life’s seeming cruelty and injustice, we often stand defenseless, helpless. Our instinctual urge is to find calm amidst chaos, serenity amid unbearable noise, and most crucially, control against the seemingly insurmountable hardships of life.

With deliberate care, you adjust the mirrors and the seat, firmly grasp the steering wheel, and embark on a journey that bestows upon you a peculiar sense of relief and safety. Unlike life, the streets are clear in their directions; traffic signs are straightforward and self-explanatory; and you rarely encounter significant difficulty achieving your primary goal: driving from point A to point B.

Upon reaching your destination, you turn off the headlights and unfasten your seat belt. In its simplicity, this act is deceptively mundane. No arduous training is required; anyone with sufficient practice can master it. Yet, despite its simplicity and evident normalcy, driving a car can bestow immense satisfaction and relief. Outside the car, we are besieged by life’s demons: relationships, work, health — domains over which we have little or no control. Yet within the confines of our cars, we are the masters and the decision-makers. Our plans are rarely thwarted. When we desire to turn left, we do. The shift from utter helplessness in normal life to absolute control in driving is astonishingly pleasant.

It is not the car itself, nor the charming streets we traverse, that grants us pleasure per se. It is the brief, ephemeral moments of control we possess while driving, embarking on a limited yet profound journey that reminds us of our inherent helplessness. In the grand web of infinite existence, we are but mere mortals, striving — and often failing — to wield control.

Driving thus becomes a metaphor for life’s overarching journey. The open, empty road represents the almost limitless possibilities, the vehicle our means of navigating them, and the destination our goals and dreams. In the quiet cocoon of our cars, we find a sanctuary where the world’s chaos recedes, replaced by a sense of direction and purpose. Each turn of the wheel, each stop and start, mirrors the decisions and pauses we encounter in life. The journey, however mundane it may seem, offers a glimpse into the tranquility that arises from control and the profound contentment derived from mastering even the simplest aspects of our existence. Ah how beautiful mastery is. It is inherent in us; we had to master things, to survive.

Here, we find echoes of Nietzsche’s philosophy. Driving, in its essence, embodies the spirit of amor fati, the love of one’s fate, not only backwards, but forward. It demands that we embrace the road ahead, with all its infinite uncertainties, and indeed the inevitable tragic ones — and henceforth the beautiful and profound, too. with the audacity of the Übermensch. To steer the wheel with intention, mindfulness, and introspection is a noble act. It calls on some of us to meet life’s complexity with audacity, direction, and responsibility.

In this transient mastery, we are reminded that while life may often render us powerless, there exist moments, however fleeting, where we reign supreme. It is in these moments that we find a semblance of peace, a slice of order amidst the turmoil. And it is these moments that sustain us, propelling us forward with the faint but persistent hope that perhaps, just perhaps, we can navigate the larger journey of life with the same grace and determination with which we navigate the open road.

This metaphor transcends the realm of driving, permeating a myriad of other structured endeavors that necessitate a confluence of skill, concentrated focus, and deliberate intention — and above all, that divine and mystical creativity we year for. Consider the painter, who, with every brushstroke, navigates the canvas, transforming chaos into art. The act of painting is a dance of control and creativity, where the artist’s will shapes the final masterpiece. Each stroke is deliberate, each color chosen with care, often dictated by a precise and profound emotion, mirroring the an an ineffably profound and exquisitely beautiful soul. The painter’s studio, like the car, becomes a sanctuary where the external world’s chaos is kept at bay, and the artist is the master of their colorful soul, even in its darkness.

Similarly, the athlete in training exemplifies this quest for control and mastery. Each session, each repetition, is a step towards perfection, a testament to the human spirit’s resilience and determination. No doubt we The discipline required in training teaches us to embrace discomfort, to push beyond our limits, and to find strength in our struggles. The athlete’s journey is one of constant self-overcoming, echoing Nietzsche’s call to transcend our limitations and strive for greatness.

Consider the ethereal artistry of athletes like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in football, whose movements on the field resemble a well-choreographed ballet, each touch and pass a brushstroke on the vast canvas of the pitch. Similarly, Muhammad Ali’s prowess in boxing extended beyond mere physical combat; his fluid, almost poetic style in the ring, characterized by his famed footwork and swift jabs, elevated the sport to a performance art. In basketball, Michael Jordan’s acrobatic drives to the basket and gravity-defying dunks encapsulated a form of kinetic poetry, turning the court into a stage where the spectacle of human potential unfolded with every game. In tennis, Roger Federer’s grace and precision are often likened to a ballet dancer’s performance, where every stroke is a testament to his meticulous craftsmanship and profound understanding of the game. These athletes, through their respective sports, demonstrate that within the structured confines of rules and competition lies an expansive domain for creativity, innovation, and artistic expression, exemplifying how control, discipline, and a deep connection to one’s craft can elevate the ordinary into the extraordinary, transforming mundane actions into moments of transcendence and beauty .

In each of these domains — driving, painting, training — we find a microcosm of life’s broader challenges and rewards. They teach us that control is not an illusion but a discipline to be cultivated, a skill to be honed. These activities remind us that, despite the enigma of existence, we can find moments of clarity and purpose, or at least a courageous attempt to do so, to throw oneself into an ocean of pain in the hopes of mastery, especially of our own selves. They inspire us to approach life, the external and internal one, with the same vociferous sense of audacity and intention, transforming the mundane into the profound.

In this way, these mere “endeavors” become exercises in self-overcoming, practices of wielding control amidst chaos, and affirmations of our will to power. The power to overcome oneself. As we command the road, the canvas, or our bodies, we are reminded of our capacity to command our destiny, to approach life with the resolute spirit of the Übermensch. It is a profound reminder that, despite the enigma (by now you noticed my affinity for the word enigma) of existence, we can strive to be masters of our fate, steering our lives with determination and courage, ever forward, ever intrepid.